


An Acknowledged Love

by WanderingRurouni



Category: Naruto
Genre: An - Freeform, An Acknowledged Love, Drama, F/M, Love, NaruHina - Freeform, Romance, Violence, anknowledged, naruto - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-12
Updated: 2014-05-12
Packaged: 2018-01-24 12:07:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 33,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1604570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingRurouni/pseuds/WanderingRurouni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A chronicling of events that occur after the Invasion of Pain, and Hinata's confession to Naruto.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Memory

**Author's Note:**

> This was the story that I started along side Cherry Blossoms in the Wind. It also had a "Choose Your Own Adventure" run that ran from Chapter 7 to Chapter 21. An Acknowledged Love branched off from a one-shot story that had its roots in Chapter 7 of Cherry Blossoms in the Wind.
> 
> At the time, it was the second longest piece of writing that I have ever written, and I'm proud to say that I still love it for what it is.
> 
> Thanks for reading.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto recalls a memory that helps him realize who he loves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd also like to add "Sexual Situations - Consensual" to the Archive Warnings.

His mind wandered as he remembered her words.

_”I’m here because I want to be…I’m going to save you, Naruto-kun”_

“ _I’ve always been crying, and giving up before trying. I’ve made the wrong turns so many times”_

_“But you helped me find my way and take the correct path, Naruto-kun.”_

_“I’ve always chased after you…I’ve always wanted to catch up to you.”_

_“I wanted to walk beside you all this time.”_

_“I want to be by your side, always.”_

_“You’ve changed me, Naruto-kun.”_

_“Your smile is what saved me.”_

_“That’s why I’m not afraid to die, if it means I can protect you.”_

_“Because…I love you, Naruto-kun…”_

…

Naruto’s eyes opened as he recalled the events of Konoha’s destruction. Pain had destroyed the village in one swift motion, and even while in Sage Mode, Naruto himself, was still at a disadvantage. His body was pinned down to the ground. There was no way he could escape from the certain death that stood in front of him; even in the face of death, there was one person who stood beside him.

Hinata’s words rewound themselves and continuously resonated in his heart.

_“Because…I love you, Naruto-kun…”_

He shoved his face deeper into his pillow and took a single, deep breath. He had never acknowledged her feelings, just as Sakura had never acknowledged his. His heart ached at the thought of how much pain he must have caused her for so long.

His mind began to wander as he came to a realization.

His heart had changed. He heard her voice again.

_“I want to be by your side, always.”_

Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath.

“I want you at my side, Hinata.”


	2. Sage Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto receives some advice on how to express his feelings

Naruto opened his eyes as he heard a knocking sound at his door. He shot up from his bed. "Coming!" he shouted while stumbling over his thoughts towards the door. He noticed a green flak jacket as his hand turned the knob and let the door slide open.

"Yo, Naruto. Are you ready?" Kakashi asked him before briefly looking up from his copy of Make-out Tactics.

"Ready for what, Kakashi–sensei?" Naruto replied with a question of his own. Kakashi took his hand and placed it on Naruto's shoulder.

"Did you forget? You asked me to help you train today?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, it must have slipped my mind." Naruto sluggishly replied.

"Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked. "It's not like you to forget about training sessions."

"N-no, nothing's wrong. Let me get dressed, I'll be there soon."

"Alright, do you want me to wait? Or can you make it to the training grounds by yourself?"

"I can make it on my own, I'll see you there."

"Okay, I'll see you there." Kakashi finally said while he opened his book, and turned to his left.

"It won't take me too long." Naruto stated as he saw Kakashi nod his head; stepping back into his house, he gently closed the door behind him.

I forgot about my training session with Kakashi-sensei, huh? Something must really be on my mind.

…As if I didn't know what that "something" or more precisely,"someone" is. He let out a deep sigh.

In time, I'll figure out what to do.

…

Hinata took a deep breath as she entered the fighting stance of the Gentle Fist; four shinobi surrounded her on all sides.

"Byakugan!" she shouted while assuming her battle stance; multiple veins appeared to protrude from her eyes as she took focus. The four shinobi charged at her without warning. Keeping her stance solid, her feet grounded, and her eyes open, she let out a cry of determination.

"Juken! Hakke Sanjūni Shō!"(Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams – Thirty-Two Palms) She brought her hands forward, delivering four strikes to her first opponent, eight to her second, sixteen to her third, and thirty-two to her fourth; her swift hands seemed to have been guided by the air. With her quick strikes connecting, she brought her hands back to their original stance. In that single instant, all four of her opponents fell to the ground.

Sensing another opponent, Hinata turned around and heard the shout of a familiar voice.

"Hakke Kūshō!"(Eight Trigrams – Vacuum Palm) A burst of air shot out from Neji's hand; with a quick glance Hinata realized the situation she was in. She formed the Gentle Fist stance again, and thrust out her arm, just as Neji had.

"Hakke Kūshō!" she shouted back. A similarly sharp and deadly wave of air shot from her hand. The two invisible masses clashed half way between their positions, causing a massive shockwave that shook the very foundations of the buildings that surrounded them. Neji darted at Hinata with his best efforts, his footfalls barely making a sound as he ran.

"Jūho Sōshiken!"(Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists) Hinata shouted again as she brought her arms to her sides. Chakra began to form around her fists, each taking on the appearance of a lion's head, at the back of the lion heads the chakra flowed as if it was being blown by the wind. Hinata planted her feet deeply in the ground and answered his charge with her own.

The shock wave resulting from the colliding vacuums of air was sucked back into place as Neji and Hinata clashed. They matched each other's strikes, one for one; both jumped back as the stalemate continued.

"Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!"(Eight Trigrams – Sixty-Four Palms) Neji shouted as his body moved into position.

"Hakke Sanjūni Shō!" shouted back at him, while shifting into her own position. Hinata's fists were still engulfed in the light sapphire lion heads as they moved to strike one another. Once again, they traded blows, cancelling out each other's efforts simultaneously.

But unexpectedly, Hinata seemed to push a little further towards Neji's chest, and struck him with her left palm. Neji felt s pressure on his chest that was accompanied by a stunning sensation that temporarily blurred his vision. Hinata's bare left fist met his chest again with another blow, sending him back several steps back that opened a space three feet wide between the two. She took another step towards him, whose eyes opened in surprise as he saw the lion that engulfed her right fist shoot forward, closing the three foot gap and crashing into his chest. The force of the blow sent him flying back, crashing into the ground with a loud thud while still rolling back.

Hinata relaxed her stance; her hands returned to her sides, the lions that engulfed her fists disappeared into thin air.

"Are you alright? Neji-niisan." She worryingly asked him.

"Yes, everything is fine, Hinata-sama." Neji answered "That was an excellent training session. You did very well." He complimented her.

"T-Thank you, Neji-niisan!" she said, accepting his words.

"Hinata-sama, that is the strength of having a clear mind in combat. It is a great asset to analyze a subject, event or occurrence with a clear mind, free of other worries or obligations. That is when you will unlock your true potential."

"Yes! Neji-niisan!" she replied.

"Good. One more time, let's go!"

…

What am I going to do? Naruto silently thought to himself while walking towards the training grounds. He exited through Konoha's main gate with a confused state of mind; remembering what route he had taken months ago, he navigated his way through the forest until her heard the sound of a raging waterfall.

It's not far now. ALRIGHT! FOCUS! He repeated to himself while shaking his head. Reaching the edge of the forest, he noticed a clearing with a massive cliff split in two by a gigantic waterfall.

That's odd. I thought Kakashi-sensei said he was going to meet me here.

"Doton! Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu!" (Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique) Kakashi's voice shouted as his hand sprouted from the ground and took hold of Naruto's foot.

Damn it! An ambush! Naruto shouted at himself. Kakashi's grip tightened around Naruto's ankle and pulled him down; his entire body sunk into the earth as he struggled to move.

"Naruto…I thought you would know it was a trap, why did you fall for this so easily?" Kakashi sarcastically asked Naruto's head that protruded from the ground.

"Well, the truth is, something has been on my mind since this morning." He replied with a depressed expression in his eyes.

"Really? Well, why don't we talk about it?" Kakashi offered.

"Okay, but we'll do it after the training session." Naruto smirked.

"After? What do yo-" Naruto disappeared into a cloud of smoke as Kakashi was about to finish his sentence. "A Shadow Clone?!" Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard footsteps running towards him. He turned to see two images of Naruto, with a compressed ball of Chakra in one of their hands.

"Rasengan!" (Spiraling Sphere). Thinking fast, Kakashi quickly formed seals with his hands.

"Doton: Doryūheki"(Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall) A giant wall of dirt, mud and stone shot up from the ground in front of Kakashi as he leapt backwards. The wall began to disintegrate as Naruto's Rasengan connected. Instantly, as the wall began to crumble, two shadow clones appeared from the left and right sides of the wall, rushing towards Kakashi's position.

Kakashi brought his hands up and began to parry and block the Shadow Clones' assault. In the commotion of combat, Naruto ran towards Kakashi, creating two more shadow clones as he propelled himself by sliding past Kakashi's legs, and took hold of his arms.

"Damn it!" Kakashi shouted while trying to break free. The four Shadow Clones began to channel chakra into their hands.

"Ōdama Rasengan!"(Giant Rasengan) they shouted as they rushed towards Kakashi. Just as the Rasengan collided with Kakashi's chest, the real Naruto dropped down prone behind Kakashi, who was sent flying backwards, crashing into the ground multiple times before stopping with another loud crash.

"I did it!" Naruto shouted triumphantly. His eyes focused and saw that Kakashi disappeared into a cloud of smoke, only to be replaced with a log.

Substitution?! He thought to himself.

"Katon! Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"(Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique) Kakashi shouted as a giant fireball shot forth and began to encroach on Naruto's position while engulfing all of Naruto's shadow clones as they let out cries of anguish quickly, Naruto formed the shadow clone seal

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" (Shadow Clone Technique) two shadow clones appeared beside him, and flung him towards the sky. When the smoke dissipated, Kakashi saw Naruto emerge with a Rasengan orb in each hand.

"Tsuin Rasengan!"(Twin Rasengan) Naruto dropped in front of Kakashi, his left hand colliding with the ground that created a great dust cloud, through the haze of dust; he heard Kakashi let out another cry.

"Raikiri!" (Lightning Cutter) he then heard the sound of his shadow clones disappearing behind him. Swiftly, Naruto turned and met Kakashi's Raikiri with his own Rasengan. The collision of chakra created a massive shockwave that pushed both of them back, they both fell to their knees, exhausted.

"I-is that good enough for today, Kakashi-sensei?! I think I'm dead!" Naruto shouted as he fell face first into the ground.

"You think that's enough for today?" Kakashi asked. Naruto nodded his head, grinding his face into the grass. "Okay, let's take a break. I can help you with your problem in the mean time." Kakashi rose and walked towards the waterfall. Naruto stood up and walked towards the waterfall himself. Kakashi sat down, Naruto sat down next to him.

"What's the problem?" Kakashi asked.

"Well, the problem isn't really a thing, she's a person." Naruto replied, slightly embarrassed.

"Sakura?"

"Uh…no, you'd assume so, but no." Naruto stuttered his reply. "Actually, it's Hinata."

"That girl from the Hyuuga family? How did that come to happen?" Kakashi inquired.

Naruto gave Kakashi a slightly shocked look.

"She was the only one who stood by me when Pain attacked the village. That day made me realize something about her, and myself."

"Ah, you see. I wasn't there to see that." Kakashi replied bluntly.

Right. You were dead. Naruto thought.

"Well, I can help you with that…at least a little bit." Kakashi replied.

"Really?! How?!" Naruto shot back with enthusiasm.

"We'll have to head back home for me to show you what you need. Follow me." Kakashi stood up, and walked back into the forest. Naruto followed his every footstep.

…

Kakashi unlocked the door to his house while Naruto followed behind him. He pointed to his couch. Naruto quickly had a seat. Kakashi walked towards his bookshelf and pointed at a series of books.

"…You want me to read Jiraiya-sensei's Make-Out Novels…?" Naruto asked with a confused tone.

"Well, it's one option." Kakashi stated.

"But those books are so boring…" Naruto protested. "…I was with him while he was doing his 'research' a few years ago…and I didn't learn anything from that, either."

"Why not give it a try? You never know what you'll find." Kakashi said as he handed Naruto a copy of Make-Out Paradise. Naruto sighed heavily and took the book. "Read that first, and see if you can gather any information to help you." Kakashi nodded and stood up.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei." He said while he walked out of the house.

Well, if he left a special code that only I could find out…maybe I'll get something from this book, too.

TWO HOURS LATER

"What the hell is wrong with this book?!" Naruto shouted as he lay on his bed.

"What kind of writer starts off a story where they tell each other that they already love one another?! There's nowhere to go from there!" he loudly criticized the novel.

Extremely tired and frustrated, he shut the book, and put it on his desk.

Closing his eyes, he fell asleep.

…

When Naruto opened his eyes, he was sitting on a hill, overlooking a lush forest. His gaze shifted down and found that he was dressed in his usual attire, a black and orange jumpsuit with matching pants. He heard footsteps behind him, his eyes widened as he saw Jiraiya walking towards him.

"Jiraya-sensei!" Naruto shouted.

"Did you just call me 'Jiraya-sensei?' What happened to Ero-sennin?" Jiraiya replied with a grin.

"Well, everything has changed since your fight with Pain." Naruto solemnly stated.

"I know that many things have changed, that's why I'm here." Jiraiya replied while handing Naruto the second half of a pair of popsicle sticks. Naruto smiled and gratefully took the offer.

"So, why are you here?" Naruto asked.

"I'm here to help you with your girl problems." Jiraiya replied with a grin. "So, tell me…Did you fall for that Second Tsunade?!" he asked while jabbing Naruto with his elbow.

"N-Not really…" Naruto replied nervously. "Or more specifically, I've had a change of heart. You see…"

"You're thinking about confessing to that girl that stood up for you during your fight with Pain?"

"Y-yeah. How do I go about it? How should I proceed?"

Naruto waited for a long moment before Jiraiya answered.

"I don't know." Jiraiya answered with a loud, hardy laugh.

"What the hell?! Then why are you here?!" Naruto shouted back.

"HEY! Is that the proper way to speak to your master?!"

"Uh..no. Sorry."

Naruto looked up at Jiraiya, whose Popsicle was now just a stick that hung out of his mouth.

"I'll tell you what you're father believes, it's overused…but it still rings true." Jiraiya closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "He says 'just keep true to your heart, and believe in yourself.' It's what you'd find in a cheesy romance novel, but it worked for him."

"A cheesy romance novel? Like yours?" Naruto replied with a joking grin on his face.

"Just like mine!" Jiraiya replied with an even larger grin.

Naruto extended his hand, Jiraiya accepted it with his own and pulled Naruto to his feet.

"This is the last time I'll see you, Naruto."

"Y-yeah, I know."

"Make sure you take care of Konoha."

"Definitely."

"Great! Now then, I'm off to see my other apprentice…and his lovely wife." Jiraiya stated.

"You're other apprentice? My father?"

"That's right! I'll be sure to tell him all about you…even though I suspect he already knows what great things you've done."

"T-Thank you for everything…Jiraya-sensei!" Naruto shouted as Jiraiya turned around and began to walk away.

Jiraiya lifted one thumb up, acknowledging Naruto's thanks, gradually, he disappeared into the landscape.

A single tear fell from Naruto's eye as he realized this was his final goodbye.


	3. Comrades and Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new member joins Team 7. Now is his chance to finally speak his mind.

Naruto opened his eyes and wiped away a tear streaking down his cheek as the sun’s light filled his room.

 _Keep true to your heart and believe in yourself, huh?_   _What kind of advice is that?_

He shook his head, cleared his vision and sat up. Before he headed towards the bathroom, he set a kettle on the stove and set out a cup of ramen on his kitchen table.

 _There’s got to be something I can do._  He thought as he stepped into the shower.

 _But what can I do? Is it too late? Did I make a mistake by waiting this long? Does she still feel the same way?_  He spent countless minutes trying to determine his course of action; but still had not come up with a plan. Entering his kitchen, he poured the boiling water into the cup of ramen before wrapping it up and letting it cook. A knock at the door interrupted his daily routine.

“Sai? What are you doing here? You’ve never come to my house before.” Naruto stated. Sai extended his hand forward.

“Naruto, this is a thank you.” Sai replied

“A thank you? What do you mean?” Naruto replied while extending his own hand and grasping Sai’s.

“Thank you for teaching me what the word ‘friend’ meant.”

“Sai, I don’t understand, why does this matter so much to you?”

“Naruto, I’ve been called back to ANBU Root. I don’t know when I’ll be back…It’s possible that I won’t be back. Thank you for teaching me what ‘friend’ meant, and thank you for teaching me about bonds. It’s because of you that I found who I really was. It was an honor to have been part of Team Kakashi.”

“Sai…” Naruto took hold of Sai’s shoulder with a firm grip. “Once you’re a part of Team Kakashi, you’re always a part of Team Kakashi. You’ll be back one day. I know it.” Sai’s expression shifted into a smile.

“Thank you, Naruto.”

…

_So…Sai’s leaving? Once he does that, it means that our team is only a three man team. Who’s going to replace him? I guess we’ll find out soon enough._

Sai had informed Naruto that since he was leaving for Root, there would be a new teammate announced. He was supposed to meet Kakashi just outside of their old training grounds.

_I wonder who it is._

Naruto arrived to the clearing, and stopped in front of the three posts that he had seen so long ago; next to the posts, there stood Kakashi and Sakura.

“Kakashi-sensei! Sakura-chan!” Naruto shouted while rushing towards them. “Do you know who the new member of our team is?!”

 Sakura shook her head.

“I know who it is.” Kakashi answered. “She’s just not here yet. Just be patient. She’ll be here soon.”

“You know who it is? Then you can tell us, can’t you?” Sakura said

“Do you want a hint?” Kakashi asked

Both Naruto and Sakura nodded.

“You both know her very well.”

From out of the forest, they saw a figure approaching. The first thing that they noticed was a lavender sweatshirt.

“HINATA?!” Naruto silently screamed. Naruto shot a look of disbelief at Kakashi, who returned his death stare with a blissfully ignorant smile. Sakura immediately took off running towards Hinata and hugged her.

“Hinata! You’re part of our team now?” Sakura asked. Hinata nodded with a smile on her face.

“It’s so good to have you as a part of our team! It’ll be just like when we had to accompany Amaru!” She looked back at Naruto with a smile. “Right, Naruto?”

In response, he nodded with a nervous smile. Kakashi gave him a slight push, urging him forward.

“Go ahead, Naruto. Welcome Hinata to our team.” Kakashi told him. Naruto walked up to Hinata with a tense look in his eyes. He extended his hand towards her.

“H-Hinata. Welcome to Team Kakashi.” He said with a smile. She extended her hand and gently gripped his.

“Thank you, Naruto-kun.” She said with a slight tint of red in her cheeks. “I hope you’ll take care of me.”

“I promise. I will.” Naruto replied, slightly blushing as the words left his mouth. His tone caused Sakura to raise an eyebrow and look at Kakashi, who returned her look with his blank expression.

Sakura jumped between them with her hands on their shoulders, she slightly pulled them apart.

“Why don’t we go out to eat?!” she shouted with a wide smile.

“Y-yeah, that’s alright. I can’t. You guys go ahead…I still have something that I need to do.” Naruto replied. He turned around and began to head in the opposite direction of the village. Kakashi nodded to Sakura and followed Naruto.

“So, I guess it’s just you and me, Hinata. How do you feel about Barbeque?” Sakura asked. Hinata nodded.

“T-Thank you, Sakura-san.”

“Great! Let’s go.” Sakura said as she began to lead Hinata towards the village.

Hinata looked back towards Naruto as she walked with Sakura, joy and concern shown in her eyes.

…

Kakashi placed his hand on Naruto’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” He asked. Naruto pushed away Kakashi’s hand.

“Kakashi-sensei, isn’t it just an  **AMAZING**  coincidence that just yesterday, I told  **you**  that I’ve started to have feelings for Hinata..And now, Sai’s left the team and the one person to take his place is Hinata?!” Naruto shouted as he approached a ledge and sat down.

“Are you angry?” Kakashi bluntly asked as he took a seat next to Naruto.

Naruto sat silently for a moment before answering.

“...not really.” He said as he brought his knees up and buried his face in his arms.

“Then what’s the problem?” Kakashi asked innocently. Naruto gave him a look of disbelief and scorn.

“Kakashi-sensei, I’m now in a team with one woman that I used to love and now the one woman that I do love. How do you  **expect**  me to react?!”

Kakashi sat on the ledge and didn’t answer for a long time. Naruto rested his head in his arms again.

“Naruto. Do you remember what I told you, Sasuke, and Sakura on that day?”

Naruto’s head lifted up.

“You said…” Naruto took a deep breath. “…Those Shinobi who disobey the rules are trash, but…”

“…Those who forsake your comrades are lower than trash.” Kakashi finished.

“So, what? What does that have to do with  **ANYTHING**?!” Naruto shouted.

Kakashi pulled Naruto’s shoulder and looked at him with fierce eyes.

“You care about Sakura, don’t you?!” He loudly questioned.

“Yeah.”

“You love Hinata, don’t you?!”

“Y-yeah…” Naruto replied. Kakashi gently shook Naruto.

“Would you sacrifice them for anything?!”

“O-Of course not!” Naruto answered.

Kakashi smiled as Naruto’s face calmed down to a realization.

“That’s right. That’s what I thought about you.” Kakashi said while patting Naruto’s back. He extended his hand and pulled Naruto to his feet.

“Thank you, Kakashi-sensei.”

…

Hinata and Sakura sat in a booth with green cushions and inlaid grills on tables at one of the most favored restaurants in Konoha, Yakiniku Q, both holding small bowls with an assortment of food on the table.

Before Hinata or Sakura were able to start eating, Hinata posed a question.

“Sakura-san…can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, Hinata. What is it?” Sakura replied.

“Sakura-san…Do you have someone that you love?” Hinata asked with her face hidden

“W-well…” Sakura replied

“Did you find a way to confess to him?”

“No. Unfortunately, I don’t think it would happen. But I’m okay with that, because I’m sure that  **I have already confessed to him in another universe.**

“In  **another universe?**  What do you mean?” Hinata asked in confusion.

“I mean, I’m fine with just being friends with him.” Sakura replied.

“I see.”

“So, what is it that you needed to ask me about?”

“W-well, if you did confess to him. What would you say? What would you do to have him  _acknowledge_  you?”

Sakura sat in thought for a minute, thinking about how she would go about with a confession.

“If I were you, I would be bolder. You are too timid, Hinata. Take the initiative. If he doesn’t know you’re there, you’ll have to  _make_  him know that you’re there. Do you understand?” Sakura asked.

Hinata nodded in understanding of the vague advice given to her by the emerald eyed Kunoichi.

“So…now that I have answered your question, will you answer mine?”

“S-sure.”

“Who is it? Who’s the lucky guy that will finally have to acknowledge you?”

“N-Naruto.” Hinata whispered. Sakura’s eyes widened, then smiled.

“I’m so happy for you, Hinata. Naruto will really take care of you. I know it.”

“T-Thank you very much, Sakura-san.”

Hinata held up her right hand, a waiter walked over and stood by her.

“Yes, miss. How can I help you?” he asked.

“I’d like to take another order of this, to go please.” Hinata said while pointing to an order on the menu.

“We’ll have it to you as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.”


	4. His Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She finally asks him that question, and he finally provides his answer.

_What would I even say to her?_

Naruto thought to himself as he felt the warm water stream down his body.

_What would I do, if I was given the chance to finally admit what I really felt?...If only there was an opportunity._

He turned the knob and felt the water slowly subside as the shower turned off. Stepping out of the bathroom, he dressed himself in a simple black T-shirt and light blue boxers shorts. He took a seat on his bed, with his mind still occupied with the somewhat strange, awkward and yet, wonderful news about Hinata being the new addition to Team Kakashi. There he sat, staring blankly at the wooden floor.

Until a ring interrupted his thoughts and shook him back to reality.

He jumped at the sound, took one deep breath and headed towards the door. Slowly, he opened it, his eyes noticing the color of light lavender and dark blue. His eyes stared blankly at her as he realized it was Hinata. For what seemed like ages, he blankly stared into her eyes with his. Once he grasped his bearings, he shook his head.

“Hinata? What are you doing here?” He asked. Hinata’s face was visibly red as she replied.

“N-Naruto-kun, you weren’t there to eat with us, so I brought you something to eat. I also have something that I need to talk to you about.” She held out a plastic bag, being weighted down by a Styrofoam package. A smile came to his face at the thought of her kind gesture.

“Thanks, Hinata. Come in, take a seat, I’ll be back as soon as I put this away.” he asked. She slightly hesitated at his offer, but then remembered Sakura’s words.

_If I were you, I’d be bolder_

With a simple nod, she stepped into his house and followed Naruto to the couch, where he set the food down on the table, and sat down. Hinata sat down beside him.

He slightly moved away as she took her seat. Blood was rushing to his face. Here he was, his feelings are clear, this was his chance! But at the same time, he had the hardest time saying what he felt. Hinata moved closer to him.

“So, what is it, Hinata?” He asked with his face still hidden from her view. She brought her hand and rubbed it against his. He offered no reaction.

“Naruto-kun, do you remember?” she asked while her hand came closer to his and gently grasped it. The warmth that he felt caused him to look up.

“Yeah, I remember, you were the only one to stand by my side. I remember, and I will never forget.” Her hand tightened around his as a smile appeared on her face; with a strong grip, she pulled him up to his feet. Still somewhat caught off-guard, Naruto effortlessly followed as she led him towards his bedroom.

“Do you remember what I said?” She asked while staring deeply into his eyes. His eyes open as he recalled the event. Her hands moved up his shoulders and lightly grasped his hair.

“I love you.” He recalled. She pulled him closer with ease; there was no resistance from him as she came closer. Their eyes closed simultaneously as he felt her soft lips on his.

“Do you…?” she whispered softly while pulling away.

“…I do.” he answered back. Hinata pulled him closer and kissed him again. He felt her tongue pushing against his. She moaned softly under her breath as he lowered her down onto his bed; with their lips still locked, his right hand began to unzip her jacket. It seemed as if time had frozen as he listened to each seam separate.

Hinata’s jacket opened and fell to her sides. Her muscles tensed as Naruto slid his hand down her body, feeling every gentle curve; his fingers ran down her body, rubbing across every nerve to her stomach. The contact sent intense pulses through her body. He suddenly stopped and broke their embrace.

“Are you sure about this, Hinata?” he whispered.

She didn’t answer him.

Instead, she pulled his lips to hers and pushed her tongue against his, and grabbed his hand guiding it further down. Naruto could feel how wet she had become as his hand slid into her pants and under her panties. His thumb and index finger gently wrapped around her clitoris and moved with a slow rhythm as he caressed it; smoothly he moved his fingers into her. Hinata could feel every slight movement that he made; every small twitch brought with it a sensation of intense pleasure.

She broke away from him with a strong gasp for air as her muscles tightened and she felt a shock of ecstasy echo through her body. Naruto smiled as he saw her reaction.

However; He didn’t expect what happened next.

Her aggressiveness both surprised, and aroused him.

Hinata swiftly shot up and pushed him onto his back. Once again, he felt her tongue gently rubbing against his; his senses heighted at this contact with her. Slowly, he felt a pressure press against his chest and move down. She ran her hand down the length of his body, stopped at his pelvis, and began to slowly rub her hand against his erection.

Fabric began to move down his legs, Hinata let his boxers float down to the floor. Her jacket slid off her shoulders; as Naruto supported himself on his elbows, he saw what was perhaps the most beautiful sight was in his entire life.

Her shining pale skin was flawless, only complimented by the dark hue of her long, flowing hair. For a moment, he froze in amazement of the beauty that was in front of him. His senses only snapped him back to reality when he felt Hinata’s breasts wrap around him.

His elbows began to buckle as her breasts moved in a slow, smooth rhythm. He could feel his blood rushing as she began to move at a quicker pace. She could feel every pulse that surged through his body. He let out a deep gasp as he felt his climax; at that exact moment, Hinata took him into her mouth, and felt every sensation that echoed through his muscles.

Before his eyes even had the chance to opened, Hinata had already straddled him and slowly lowered herself onto him; they both let out gasps of ecstasy as she took him in.

The pleasure that shocked her nerves was so immense that almost immediately; she fell over on top of him. He caught her and gently let her down onto his chest.

“A-Are you alright, Hinata?” he asked. She slowly nodded while wrapping her arms around him; a cold sensation assaulted his back as he felt her fingers. His hands found themselves on her hips. Hinata pulled him closer while lifting her own hips; his hands guided her movements. With every thrust came another desperate gasp for air. She started in a smooth motion, but soon moved at a speed that he had never experienced. In one final motion, Hinata pushed down onto Naruto, fully taking him in, and pulled him in for another kiss. He felt her tongue push itself deep into his mouth as their bodies rumbled in climax.

Hinata slowly broke from his lips and slowly laid her head down next to his; breathing heavily, she whispered into his ear.

“I love you, Naruto-kun.”

“I love you, Hinata.”


	5. Emissary, Part I: Fire & Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new Team 7 takes on the mission to negotiate a trade treaty with The Mizukage

The sun rose in the early morning, beams of light streamed through the blinds of Naruto’s bedroom. In the faint light of the rising sun, Hinata still slept, her head resting on a pillow as Naruto sat on a chair in the kitchen.

His hands were gripping his head like a vice, refusing to let go.

 _What the hell did I just do last night?_ He panicked.

_If anyone ever finds out about this…_

“Naruto-kun?” Hinata shouted while sitting upright on his bed. He stood and walked back towards her.

“Hey, Hinata…” he said in a somber tone. He bent over and handed Hinata’s jacket to her. She held his blanket against her body and took her jacket back. He sat down on the bed with his back turned to her.

“Hinata, what happened last night…I’m not sure about…”

She moved closer and wrapped her arms around him. He could feel her breath on his neck; he could feel the heat of her body on his back.

“You said that you loved me.” She whispered.

“I meant what I said.” He answered back “I just don’t know how people would react if they knew what happened. What would Neji say? Sakura? Even your father, what would they say?”

She smiled, wrapped her arms around him tighter, and rested her head on his shoulder.

“If you don’t want to tell anyone about us, then I won’t tell anyone either. But one day, they will have to acknowledge the love that we have. And they will have to accept it.” She smiled.

A knock came at the door, breaking their connection. His head jerked as he stood up. As he exited the doorway, he turned around and looked back at Hinata. He placed his finger over his nose and mouth, signaling her to stay quiet.

“Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?” Naruto asked. Sakura stepped into the house and closed the door.

“Naruto, do you know where Hinata is?” Sakura asked.

“Uhh…W-Well…” He stuttered. Sakura began to wander through his house without letting him finish. His heart was racing.

She stopped right next to the doorway of his room. She looked over into the kitchen, and saw a Styrofoam package sitting inside a plastic bag.

Then, Sakura turned around and looked into his room. Her eyes were popping out of their sockets at what she saw.

 _Oh…Shit._ Naruto panicked.

All three of them froze in place.

Sakura swiftly turned around and delivered a crushing blow to his stomach.

“S-Sakura-san?!” Hinata shouted. Naruto fell to his knees from the pain that rocked his midsection. Sakura grabbed his collar with both hands and shook him vigorously.

“NARUTO!! YOU ANIMAL! YOU DISGUSTING EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HINATA?!” She shouted. “I’LL…I’LL KILL YOU!” She raised her fist high in the air.

Hinata jumped at the sight, she rushed to Sakura and grabbed her arm.

“Sakura-san, wait!” Hinata shouted. “Nothing happened last night!” Sakura abruptly let go of Naruto’s collar, and let him fall to the floor.

“What do you mean, nothing happened? Are you trying to cover up for him?!” she glared at him again

Naruto was on the floor, heavily exhaling as the pain that still resounded through his body.

 “Sakura-san, please don’t tell anyone.” Hinata begged.

Sakura slightly flinched.

“Fine. I won’t.” she grabbed Naruto’s and dragged him back to his feet. “I don’t know how anyone else will feel about this. But…As long as nothing bad happened, I’m fine with this.”

“T-Thanks.” Naruto murmured while coming to his feet. “So…why are you here?”

“I was sent here because I was worried about Hinata.” She answered back before adding “Naruto, we also have a new mission, Tsunade-sama asked that you go meet her for a mission briefing.”

“I’ll get on that as soon as I can.” Naruto answered.

“While you do that, Hinata, come with me!” Sakura grabbed Hinata’s hand and dragged her out of the door.

Naruto sighed as he watched them leave. “Will we really be able to keep this from everyone?”

…

“Naruto, you’re here.” Tsunade said when he entered the room.

“Yeah, Sakura-chan told me that there was a mission I needed to be briefed on, what is it?”

“Your new mission is to go to the Land of Water. You are being sent as an emissary to the Mizukage, deliver a trade agreement between the two villages, and make sure it gets signed.”

“A trade agreement? What kind of lame mission is that?” he replied with his head resting in his arms.

“Listen, I don’t have time for this. You know better than anyone that we’re in desperate need of architects and supplies after the devastation that Pain inflicted on the village!”

“R-right. Sorry. Okay, I understand. Who’s going with me?”

“Your team will be standing at the gates, ready to leave as soon as you meet with them. This is very important, Naruto. We really need this agreement to go through. For the good of the village”

“I understand.” He nodded with sincerity in his eyes. “I will be sure to complete this mission. No matter what happens.”

He turned and walked out the door.

…

“Nothing happened between you two?” Sakura said while suspiciously eying Hinata. “Are you **SURE** that he didn’t take advantage of you?!” Sakura asked.

Both Kunoichi stood at the front gates of Konoha.

“S-Sakura-san.” Hinata confidently stated. “Don’t you remember how I asked you for advice on how to confess to Naruto-kun…?”

Sakura nodded.

“W-Well, what do you think I did last night?” Hinata said while hiding her face.

“…” Sakura was speechless as her mouth hung wide open.

Hinata nodded with blood rushing to her face.

“I was very bold. He didn’t expect it. But I think he liked it.” She stated with a smile. Sakura stood still with pure shock in her eyes.

“Yo, Hinata, Sakura. How are you two?” Kakashi’s voice asked.

“Very well, Kakashi-sensei.” Hinata answered. Sakura snapped out of her trance and replied with in a similar fashion.

“Good. Today we’re going on a new mission. Naruto should be here any minute. But while we’re waiting, let me explain the situation.” Kakashi shut his book and stuffed it in his back pocket.

“We’re heading towards the Land of Water. Hokage-sama wants to establish a trade agreement between the two countries. We really do need help with supplies. And as we learned.” He motioned at Sakura. “The Land of Water has some great architects. We’ll need them to help with rebuilding.”

“Understood.” Hinata and Sakura nodded. They were briefed just in time to see Naruto walking towards them from behind Kakashi.

“Hinata! Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei!” he shouted while rushing towards them. Hinata took off and met him half-way; she embraced him heartily, stopping him in his tracks. He looked at Kakashi and Sakura, offering a nervous smile, and wrapped his hands around Hinata, quickly returned her embrace.

“H-Hey, Hinata. How have you been?”

“Better, now that you’re here.”

Sakura and Kakashi walked up to the couple.

“Okay, are you all ready to head out? The sooner we finish this mission, the better.”

Hinata let go of Naruto and turned around, she nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah, let’s get going.” Naruto added.

Hinata took hold of Naruto’s arm as Kakashi and Sakura lead the way out of Konoha’s main gate.


	6. Part II: Non-Combat Application

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team comes across some villagers asking for help, they answer with their greatest ninja techniques in the name of...manual labor

The team of four walked down a winding dirt road into the shaded forests of Konoha. Ahead of them, they saw a group of villagers cutting down trees, clearing the forest. As they began to pass by, an elderly man walked up to them.

“E-Excuse me!” he called out to Kakashi. “You’re Shinobi from Konoha, aren’t you?”

“Yes, we are. What seems to be the problem?” Kakashi replied.

“We need help clearing this area for a new roadside inn that we’re planning to build; we would really appreciate it if you could help us.”

Kakashi looked over at the three.

They smiled and nodded.

“Alright, we’ll do our best.”

All four shinobi grabbed axes and saws, they began to hack and cut their way through the massive trunks of the lumbering trees that inhabited the forest. Ten minutes into the activity, Naruto voiced his complaints.

“This is too slow, there has to be another way to do this.” He dropped his axe and began to think.

“Naruto, just get back to work.” Kakashi pleaded.

“I’ve got it!” Naruto exclaimed. “ _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!”_ Two shadow clones appeared in front of him. He held out his right hand as they began to shuffle their hands around his palm. A low screeching sound began to emanate from his palm, he raised it up and it took the form of a giant, white shuriken, spinning in place at a great speed.

" _Fūton: Rasenshuriken_ " ( **Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken** ). He swung his arm forward and let the disc of energy loose. It swirled with incredible velocity, and ripped through the trunks of multiple trees as if they were wet pieces of paper, they fell to the ground with a loud impact, creating a giant dust cloud. He turned and smiled at his comrades.

“That’s kind of over doing it, but it is the fastest way to do it…” Kakashi looked over at Hinata and Sakura and nodded. “Why not?”

He formed seals with his hands and drew his arm down.

" _Raikiri_!" Lightning began to form around his hand; electric chirping began to emitt from his fist as he held it down. He crouched and quickly took off, running his electrified hand across the width of multiple trees, the wood cracked and crumbled behind him as the trees fell.

Sakura and Hinata looked at each other, shrugged and moved to chop down trees themselves.

Sakura began by focuses chakra into her limbs, her feet and hands soon resembled blue blades that could cut with extreme precision. She lifted her right leg and sent a kick across the trunk of a tree, letting her momentum carry through; she sliced through another trunk with her other leg. The cuts were so precise, that the trees didn’t even fall; they just sat on top of their disconnected trunks.

Hinata took in a deep breath, pulled her arms to her sides and began to focus her chakra into her hands.

" _Jūho Sōshiken!_ " two fearsome lion heads began to form around her enclosed fists, they glowed with a strong sapphire hue. Hinata began to move as if in a dance, the lions in her hands leaving streams of chakra in their wake as they moved with her. She glided across the ground with circular motions, constantly moving her feet and sending blows into the trees that immediately ran through the entire trunk.

Naruto paused and glanced over at her; blankly, he stared as she moved, following the string of chakra that emitted from the lion heads that surrounded her fists. Hinata made one final movement, she extended her arms to her sides and opened her palms, the lion heads shot away from her hands and bit through the any object that stood in their way.

They fully detached themselves from her hands and dissipated into thin air. She turned to Naruto and smiled. His mouth hung wide open at the sight he had just witnessed. The spectacle was emphasized with a great crash that resulted from the trees being cut down, and the dust that shot up from the dirt.

Hinata emerged from the dust cloud to stares of awe.

“Hinata! That was amazing!” Naruto screamed out as he ran to hug her. “I had no idea how powerful you were!” Hinata returned his embrace by wrapping her arms around him.

“T-Thank you, Naruto-kun.”

“How did you do that?” Kakashi asked.

“I combined my _Jūho Sōshiken_ , with _Hakke Kūshō_ to launch the chakra from my hands.” Hinata answered

“That’s…that’s impressive.” Kakashi praised her.

“I’ve never seen that before, Hinata. When did you learn how to do that?” Sakura asked.

“I learned when Neji-niisan was training me.”

The villagers who were drowning in the sweat from their labors were in awe. They dropped their tools, jaws on the ground, eyes popping out.

“Well, well. That was very impressive. YOU SEE!” he shouted to his laborers. “If you were all shinobi, this job would be a lot easier!” he laughed heartily. “Great, now we just have to trim and move all of these trees!”

“I’m on it!” Naruto shouted. “ _Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!”_ hundreds of shadow clones appeared behind him.

“Everyone! We’re going to trim and move these trees, ready?!”

Every clone cheered.

Hours later, there sat a giant triangular pile of massive tree trunks next to a giant mass of trimmed branches and leaves.

And next to that, was an extremely exhausted shinobi in a black and orange tracksuit.

“Thank you very much.” The old man said to Kakashi. “Something for your troubles.” He handed Kakashi four burlap pouches. “payment for helping us today, regular pay, plus bonuses.”

“Thank you. It was our pleasure to help you out.” Kakashi replied.

“There’s a small hot spring inn down this way. It’s quite far, but it’s a good place to relax and heal your wounded.” He pointed at Naruto’s dazed body laying on the ground. “Enjoy your journey.”

“Best of luck.” Kakashi said while walking back towards Naruto.

Sakura and Hinata took Naruto by his arms and carried him on their shoulders. He stepped slowly with their movements as they dragged him along.

 


	7. Emissary, Part III: An Unclear Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto is troubled by a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was the beginning of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" experiment.

The trio arrived at the aforementioned Hot Spring inn that was a few miles down the road. Kakashi lead the way into the main hall, followed by Sakura and Hinata, both supporting an exhausted Naruto on their shoulders.

“Welcome!” An elderly woman greeted them.

“Hello, we’d like four separate rooms, please.” Kakashi said while placing money on the counter.

“Right away!” The woman cried.

She spared a look of concern at Naruto.

“Is he alright?” she asked

“He’s fine. He’s got a lot more stamina than most people, he just needs to rest.” The woman smiled and shouted:

“Ayumi! Come here, we’ve got customers!” From behind the main desk, a tall woman with long brown hair stepped through the short curtain that hung onto the ceiling.

“What is it, Grandmother?” The young woman asked.

“Show these people where they will be spending the night.”

She led them to the east side of the building, and showed each of them their rooms.

“The hot springs are on the other side of the building. Please tell me if you need anything else, don’t forget, my name is Ayumi.”

Kakashi nodded his understanding to her as she smiled and walked away. He turned to Sakura and Hinata.

“You two can go relax, I’ll watch over him until he wakes up.” They laid him down onto the bed, smiled, and entered their own rooms.

Kakashi could hear them talking to each other as they walked down the hall.

“Well, Naruto. I wonder what would you do in this situation?”

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his copy of _Make-Out Paradise_.

“Book one, Page one. Time to start over.”

…

Hinata and Sakura slowly entered the hot spring pools. They sat next to each other, both facing the edge of the pool. They relaxed, letting the pain in their bodies soak away.

“Hinata, what you did today was awesome.” Sakura abruptly brought up.

“T-Thank you, Sakura-san.” Hinata quietly answered.

“Can I show you something, tell me what you think.”

“Okay.”

Sakura brought her hands together to form seals: _Dragon, Snake, Bird_. A loose rock broke away from the surrounding boulders and flew towards Sakura’s open palm.

She set the rock down in front of her and raised her fist.

“SHANARO!” Sakura screamed as she brought her fist down onto the rock, which seemingly disappeared into a fine cloud of dust.

“Wow! Sakura-san, that’s amazing! Where did you learn how to do that?”

Sakura dipped her gravel covered fist into the warm waters of the pool to clean it.

“I developed the technique a few weeks ago while Kakashi-sensei was training me.”

“How did you do that? I’d like to know.”

Sakura formed the seals again: _Dragon, Snake, Bird._ Another small rock broke away, Sakura moved further into the pool with the stone in her hand. She turned and faced Hinata.

Slowly bringing her hand down in a punching motion, she began to explain.

“Every time you strike an object, a shock wave is sent through that object.” She slowly motioned her fist down, lightly tapping the rock with her knuckles. “The shock wave is caused by the resistance of an object.”

Sakura bent her knuckles and lightly tapped the rock again.

“If I strike the rock at the right moment, the second strike meets no resistance; the two impacts meet in the middle, and pulverize the rock.”

She raised her hand again, and brought it down. Hinata focused on Sakura’s hand with her Byakugan. As Sakura’s hand came down initially, she struck the rock; Sakura then bent her knuckles down and struck the rock again, another wave of impact shot through it. Hinata saw the waves clash in the center of the rock and rumble outward.

The stone then turned into a cloud of grey dust.

“Sakura-san! That’s amazing!”

Sakura smiled and dipped her hand into the pool again.

“I’ll have to show Naruto some time.”

“Just…please, don’t strike Naruto-kun with it.”

“I promise, I won’t.”

…

Naruto began to stir. Kakashi lowered his book.

“I told you not to overdo it.” Kakashi told Naruto with a smile.

“Where are we?” Naruto asked.

“We’re at that Hot Spring inn that the old man told us about.”

“Where are Sakura and Hinata?”

“In the hot springs.”

“Ah.” Naruto stood up and began to walk towards the door.

“Naruto, you aren’t going to do anything you’ll regret are you?” Kakashi asked while suspiciously eyeing him.

“Kakashi-sensei, who do you think I am?” he replied with a smile. Kakashi held up _Make-out Paradise_.

“You’re the apprentice of the man who wrote _this._ ”

“Kakashi-sensei, Do you know that there are only two times that Jiraiya-sensei almost died? One time, he was fighting me while I was in the nine-tails form. The other time-“

“He was attacked by Hokage-sama while peeping on her during her time in a hot spring.”

Naruto nodded.

“I don’t plan on having two women kill me tonight, Kakashi-sensei.” He said with a smile. “But in this case, I think Hinata would be the one who lands the first punch.” His smile widened.

Kakashi smiled at Naruto as he walked out the door.

“It’s good to hear that, Naruto.”

He found himself alone in the thermal pool, tuning himself out and staring into the star filled sky. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds that were happening around him.

He sat still.

Completely still.

Orange lines began to form around his eyes, and his pupils began to flatten. He could feel everything around him, sensing everyone and hearing everything.

Focusing his mind, he heard Sakura and Hinata speaking about pulverizing a rock. He focused in even more, and he began to see and sense the movement of their chakra. He saw Sakura moving her hand up and down and finally saw it crash against a rock. He could feel every particle of the stone spread as it dissipated into the air.

He leaned his head back and relaxed.

_This isn’t the same this as peeping, is it?_

He waited until they left before he began to walk back to his room.

…

That night, while Naruto slept, he began to dream.

He could hear a woman’s voice echoing and stuttering like a broken record.

_Naru-kn-…h-his…n-ne-v-v…regr…pro..mi..e_

_Apolo…gize…I-…sorry…forg-…me?_

He could almost make out who she was; he could see her face and hair. but her image was broken as a wave of static ripped through her in his mind.

_L-Lie…to…yo-…all…th-…tim…_

_Plea-…for….me._

_B-but…I…me-…it…_

_I…_

He shot up in a cold sweat, eyes widened in surprise and confusion. He held his hand up to his face, panting in quick and shallow breaths.

_What…What was that?_


	8. Emissary, Part IV: Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto decides to try and figure out what the dream meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A) Naruto decides to dwell on the dream.  
> B) Naruto decides to forget the dream.
> 
> The audience chose A.

Naruto sat up from his dream.

 _What…What was that…?_ He held his head in his hands.

_What did I see? Come on, remember._

He stood up and changed into his normal clothes. Pulling a pen out of a drawer, he grabbed a piece of paper.

_I’m out for a walk, I need to clear my head. Be back soon._

He folded the parchment and placed it on his pillow. After he exited his room, he turned towards the exit.

“Where are you going, young man?” The elderly woman at the front asked. He let out a breath and smiled while turning around.

“Obaa-san.” Naruto said with a smile. “Thank you for taking care of me, if you see anyone ask for me, could you tell them that I’m going for a walk?”

“Of course I can, aren’t you the boy who was dead tired when he came in with that group of people?”

“Yeah, that was me, if you see them; please just tell them that I need some time to clear my head.”

“I will,” she said with a smile. “You take care of yourself now.” Naruto nodded and exited out of the inn. He walked down the lone dirt road in the quiet evening.

_What was that…I saw…_

He took a deep breath, and began to walk through the forest. In the calm of the night, he searched his thoughts as best he could.

 _What was it that she said?_ His mind raced as it recalled the words of the mysterious figure.

_Naru-…I know…hi-his…history…never…regret…p-pro-promise._

His head slightly ached as he tried to piece together her words. He grasped his head in his hands. He gently rubbed his temples as his mind raced. He continued to walk through the peace that the quiet night offered him, and took a seat on the edge of a cliff that overlooked a valley.

_Apologize…I’m…sorry…Forgive me?_

_What does this all mean?_ He thought to himself. He focused his mind, trying to recreate her image that was broken by the haze of his dream.

…

Hinata turned in her sleep. She turned towards the door and opened her eyes.

Something wasn’t right.

She put on her clothes and walked over to Naruto’s room and gently knocked on the door.

“Naruto-kun…?” she quietly said while opening the door. A stream of light entered his room as she peeked in. The beam of light grew when she fully opened the door. She was greeted by nothing but a bed with a folded piece of paper on the pillow.

 _What’s this?_ She took a seat on his bed and folded open the note.

“I’m out for a walk. I need to clear my head. Be back soon.” She turned to notice a robe that sat was folded and set on a chair. In a rush, she sprinted down to the main desk to the inn’s exit.

“Where are you going, Miss?” The elderly lady interrupted Hinata’s footfalls.

“Obaa-san, have you seen a blonde-haired man pass through here? Did he leave?” Hinata asked.

“Oh, him! He told me to tell anyone who asked about him that he’s decided to clear his head.”

“Which way did he go?”

“It sounded to me that he wanted to be left alone.”

“I need to talk to him. I really do, please tell me where he went?”

“…It’s fine, he went that way.” She pointed to the right of the exit. “I don’t know if you will be able to find him though, he left a while ago.”

“Thank you, Obaa-san. I’ll be able to find him.” Hinata replied with confidence. The elderly woman smiled and waved as Hinata dashed out of the door.

_I know I’ll be able to find him._

“Byakugan!” she whispered. Noticeable veins began to form around her eyes. She continuously scanned the horizon with her vision, waving her head from side to side.

_There he is._

…

_L-Lied…to…y-you…all…this…t-time._

He held his head in his hands and felt a droplet of water fall from his eye.

_Tears?...Why am I…_

He heard a rustling behind him and turned around.

“N-Naruto-kun?”

“H-Hinata? What are you doing here?” She walked up and sat down beside him.

“A-Are you feeling well? What’s wrong?” Naruto’s eyes flinched at her question.

“N-Nothing! Nothing’s wrong.” He smiled. She brought her hand to his cheek and wiped away the streak of liquid.

“Then why are you crying?” she asked; gently she clasp her hand on his cheek.

“…Just a weird dream. To be honest, I don’t know why.” She offered him a comforting smile, took hold of his head and brought his lips to hers. He closed his eyes as he felt the soft pressure. She slowly pulled him away.

“I’m here for you.” She whispered.

“I know.” He replied.

Across the horizon, an orange glow began to rise. Naruto brought himself closer to Hinata and wrapped her arm around her. She blushed as she brought her head and rested it on his shoulder.

Together, they watched a new day’s dawn.

…

The next day, the new Team 7 was in the middle of a clearing; surrounding them were the trees of Konoha, streams of light broke through the thick canopy, creating specks of yellow light through the entire forest floor.

Kakashi signaled to the team.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Two shadow clones appeared beside Naruto. They nodded, each clone rushed towards Hinata and Sakura.

The first shadow clone jumped towards Hinata and delivered a kick that she blocked with her forearm; she smoothly slid down to his ankle and tossed him towards a tree. He flipped in the air and planted his feet into the tree itself; with his momentum he flew back towards her. She caught his arm and slammed him onto the ground, the clone disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

…

Naruto felt a pain rush to his mind.

_…Lied…to…you…a-all…t-this…time._

_Please…for-give…me._

Naruto rested his head in his hand again.

“Naruto! Are you alright?” Kakashi asked.

“Y-yeah, I’m alright.” He replied.

_…_

The other shadow clone charged towards Sakura, doging her attacks the best way he could. He jumped up and brought his fist down, she delivered a leg sweep and knocked him over onto his back. She raised her fist and struck him down.

…

More pain shot through Naruto’s head, his grasp tightened around his temples, he shot up to his feet, holding his head down.

“Hey, Naruto! What’s wrong?!” Kakashi asked. Naruto didn’t reply.

“Sakura, Hinata, that’s it, something’s wrong with Naruto!”

…

Memories raced through his head again

_But…I…mean it_

_I…_

…

His breathing became erratic, his heart rate increased.

“Hey! Naruto, calm down!” Kakashi held Naruto by his shoulders.

Naruto grasped his hear with his right hand.

…

_I mean it…_

_I…I love you._

…

 “Sa-Saku…”

His knees gave way, and fell with a loud crash onto the forest floor.


	9. Emissary, Part V: The Mizukage’s Conditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mizukage sets forth conditions, conditions that only Naruto can decide on.

Naruto’s eyes blinked as he began to stir; his hand rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. The world slowly came into focus as he sat up.

“Awake? How are you feeling?” A voice came. Naruto sat up, pushing his back against a wall.

“Kakashi-sensei? What happened?” Naruto asked.

“You just fainted when we were in the middle of our training session, are you sure you’re alright?” Kakashi asked with a hand on Naruto’s shoulder.

“I don’t know, I don’t even know why I-“ he turned his head to the right and saw Hinata fast asleep on a couch. He gave Kakashi a puzzled look.

“She’s been waiting for you to wake up for days, never left your side.” He said with a smile. Naruto’s expression eased with his explanation. “Now then, we need to get this straight. Why did you faint?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“Naruto…You started to experience pain when your shadow clones disappeared, what happened?”

Naruto took a deep breath.

“Kakashi-sensei, I had a weird dream. There was a woman who confessed her love to me.” Kakashi nodded while listening.

“Your shadow clones remembered your dream, and when they disappeared, the dream became clearer to you.”

Naruto nodded.

“I took a walk that night and tried to sort out my thoughts. I started to relive the dream, I could hear her voice speaking.”

“What did she say?”

“She said: ‘I’ve lied to you, all this time.’ But in the end I heard her say ‘I mean it…I love you.’…I don’t know why I saw what I did.”

“And? Do you know who this person was?” Naruto took a deep breath, brought his head up, looked at Kakashi and nodded.

“It was Sakura-chan.” Kakashi heard a terrible desperation in his voice. “I-I don’t know what to do…Kakashi-sensei, what does this mean?”

Kakashi tightened his grip on Naruto’s shoulder. “It’s not that there’s something wrong up here.” He pointed to Naruto’s head.

“But something is confused, down here.” He said with his hand pointing at Naruto’s heart.

“Something in your heart is in conflict. If I could help, I would, but this type of struggle is something that you have to overcome by yourself.”

“How would I even do that? How do I proceed from here?”

“Maybe you should talk to her some time. But now…”

Kakashi took Naruto’s arm onto his shoulders and helped him to his feet.

The entrance to the room opened, three people came into Naruto’s view.

“…It’s up to you to negotiate the trade agreement terms with the Mizukage herself.”

…

The trio that approached Naruto consisted of a woman with dark auburn hair, both covering part of her face and almost touching the floor as she walked towards him. She wore a blue dress.

 _A very, VERY revealing blue dress._ Naruto thought

“Bow your head” Kakashi informed him with a whisper.

She was flanked by two men. On the left, a shy looking man, with blue hair, glasses and what looked like headphones. On the right was a man with a stern face and an eye patch.

“I see you’ve rested well, Uzumaki Naruto.” He heard her say. “Did you enjoy your time here?” she asked.

“Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t even know where I am.” He said with a smile.

“You are in the Village of the Hidden Mist-Kirigakure. If I’m not wrong, you’ve been here before, the Great Naruto Bridge is the one monumental structure that connects our great nations.”

Naruto nodded.

“How symbolic that you are also the one person who will connect our nations once again. Ao, help him up and follow me.”

The man with the eye patch did as he was ordered to, he took Naruto from Kakashi and began to walk away.

“Wait-Kakashi-sensei…”

“Don’t worry, I need to be here to watch over Hinata. I’ll be in touch.”

Naruto nodded as he was helped out of the room.

…

Naruto then found himself being dragged into another room. He was placed down onto a large bed with blue sheets.

“Ao, Chōjūrō, Leave us.” The Mizukage ordered. Naruto sat dumfounded on the bed as the two left. The Mizukage pulled a chair up to him and sat in front of him.

“Now, Uzumaki Naruto, I know who you are, and what you’ve done. I even know why you were sent here to propose this trade agreement.” He listened intently as she spoke.

“You are the hero of Konoha, you saved your comrades from death, and now you’re in need of this country to help rebuild yours.”

He smiled nervously as she gripped his hand tightly. She looked into his eyes and licked her lips.

“What sacrifices are you willing to make for your country?”


	10. Emissary, Part VI: Eye of the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto provides his answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A) Naruto agrees to her conditions and does "that"  
> B) Naruto disagrees to her conditions and doesn't do "that"
> 
> The audience chose B.

“What sacrifices are you willing to make for your country?” She asked him. The Mizukage moved closer to Naruto. In a confused state he stood speechless, unable to find a suiting reply to her question. He slowly dragged himself back with his hands.

“W-What do you mean?” he stuttered while inching backwards. She smiled slyly while looking into his eyes.

“All you have to do is spend a night with me. Once you do that, your country, your village will be rebuilt. And it will be even more glorious than it already was.” She replied with a wink.

His thoughts raced at the consequences of the actions that he could possibly take. She began to move closer, hovering over him with every movement. He slowly backed away as she moved closer.

“No, I-I can’t, if I did, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself…I can’t do this, I can’t hurt her, and I can’t do this…not even for Konoha.” He brought his hand up and pushed her back.

“It doesn’t seem that way…” She replied loosely.

He returned her accusation with a confused look, until he diverted his eyes and realized where he had was. Swiftly he jumped back further in surprise and shock. His elbows buckled and he fell flat onto his back.

“All you have to do is spend a night with me.” She repeated while holding him down and moving closer.

…

“She asked us to leave…What do you think she’s doing?” Chōjūrō asked Ao, they stood just outside of the room, tasked with guarding it, to ensure that no one entered the room to interrupt the “negotiations” between the two countries. Ao slightly flinched at Chōjūrō’s question.

“I don’t care what she’s doing, stop being so nosy, it’s none of our business.” He gave Chōjūrō a look of disdain, as if the young man was so ignorant because he had asked such a stupid question. “You know that this is none of our business what goes on behind these doors. So, keep your curiosities to yourself.”

Chōjūrō’s diverted his eyes towards the ground at the scolding. He looked confused and frustrated.

“But what if something bad is happening, shouldn’t we be there to keep her safe? We are her personal guards.” He nudged Ao on with the truth.

“You…your just so damn nosy, aren’t you?” He shrugged. Chōjūrō gave a small smile of confusion and innocence. “Fine, I’ll take a look.” He turned towards the door and used his Byakugan to peer through the walls.

Chōjūrō saw his eyes widen and his mouth drop open.

“What’s wrong?” he asked Ao with desperation and worry.

Ao did not answer, instead, he took hold of the door knob and pushed his weight up against it, busting it open.

…

Hinata began to shift in her sleep as Kakashi watched over her. He smiled to her as she opened her eyes.

“Kakashi-sensei?” Hinata began, as she turned towards the other bed, she noticed that Naruto was missing. “Where did Naruto-”

“He’s in an important meeting with the Mizukage, but he’s fine. There’s no need to worry about him. He knows how to take care of himself.” He slightly bent over nearer to her. “There’s something that you should know.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“When Naruto woke up, I told him about how you were by his side this entire time. When I told him that, he smiled a genuine smile.”

The new brought the same smile to Hinata’s face. The news was interrupted by the sound of a loud bash that startled both of them.

…

I will now be referring to the Mizukage by her actual name: Mei Terumī, because it’s very awkward constantly typing in a title and not her actual name.

…

Naruto’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he heard the door break down. Mei’s lips were only a few inches from his when they heard the door crack open. Her eyes flared with flames as she saw her two bodyguards stumble into the room.

“Oh, Thank you! Help me!” Naruto cried as he saw them.

“Mizukage-sama! What is this?” Ao shouted as Chōjūrō’s eyes widened in shock. He could see the fire rising in her eyes.

“Who the hell told you to come in here?!” She shouted. Ao and Chōjūrō quickly flinched at her outburst. “I TOLD you to stay on guard…and don’t let ANYONE enter!”

“W-We were just worried that something was happening, we just wanted to make sure that you were safe.” Chōjūrō stuttered.

“N-Never mind that! What are you doing to him?!” Ao pointed to Naruto. Mei stood and began to walk towards them, her eyes and aura seeming lighting up with a deadly fire. “Y-You know that this is inappropriate.” Being caught up in his shock, he didn’t realize what he said next.

“Y-You know that he’s _too young_ for this!”

Mei’s eyes flinched when she heard his words.

“What the FUCK did you just say?!” She shouted. Chōjūrō’s worry grew exponentially with every passing second. “If you’re smart, you’ll get out NOW, and you won’t come back. Keep your mouth SHUT, if you say even one more thing, I will FUCKING BOIL YOU ALIVE right here!” Beads of sweat glided down their faces at her threats.

They quickly turned around to see Sakura, Kakashi and Hinata rushing towards the room. As the trio jumped into the room, everyone had an expression of shock and surprise among their faces. Naruto’s expression was particularly disturbing.

“N-Naruto-kun…?” Hinata expressed in a disappointing tone. “What are you doing?”

“I-It’s not what it looks like, Hinata! Please, believe me! I wasn’t interested in this at all!” Naruto shouted defensively.

Kakashi desperately wanted to speak up his objections, but he throught better of it. He knew his position, and it was in no position to object to the demands of the Mizukage.

Naruto thought differently.

“This crazy woman wanted me to spend a night with her!” he shouted while pointing at Mei. He looked back desperately at Hinata. “You know I wouldn’t do this! I told her I didn’t want to do this, but she just-” He shot up to his feet, immediately his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell forward.

Kakashi shot forth and caught Naruto with his arm. He picked Naruto up and placed him back down onto the bed. He looked up at Kakashi with a faded gaze.

“Just relax, Naruto, we’ll handle this.” He assured while rising again. He bowed to Mei and spoke. “Mizukage-sama, perhaps there is another way we can settle this dispute. Even if Naruto had agreed to this…” He looked over at Hinata. “He’s obviously not in any shape or form to comply with your demands.”

“What do you propose then, Copy Ninja?” Mei asked him.

“I was told-and hoping that this mission was a peaceful emissary mission, but I don’t know how we can proceed from here.”

Mei pondered for a minute, and then answered with her own conclusion.

“We’ll solve this peace treaty with battle.”

Kakashi let in a deep sigh. “How ironic.”

Mei Smiled. “Pick one from your group, and I’ll choose one from mine.”  


Kakashi stepped forward, only to be gently pushed back.

“Kakashi-sensei, I’ll do it.” She said with determination in her voice. Kakashi’s eyes widened at her assertion.

“How interesting.” Mei replied with narrow eyes. “Very well…” she looked over at Ao. “Go.”

He bowed to her and began to walk out of the room. “Follow me.”

…

They made their way outside to a large, open courtyard. One on end stood Ao, flanked by Mei and Chōjūrō. On the other end stood Hinata, on her left stood Sakura and on her right, Naruto was being supported by Kakashi.

“Hinata, be careful don’t-“

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” Hinata replied as she stepped forward.

“K-Kakashi-sensei.” Naruto coughed. He smirked as Kakashi turned to him. “Don’t worry about Hinata, she’s the only one who stood up to Pain.” He brought his head up and gazed at Hinata’s back. “…There’s no way that she could lose to this guy.”

Hinata and Ao stepped forward.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you too badly, little girl.” Ao stated with a smirk.

“You won’t even be able to touch me.” Hinata sharply replied. “You may have stolen one eye from my clan, but you will never truly know the power of the Byakugan. Ao smirked at her words.

“Byakugan!” they shouted while charging each other.

_There’s no way this guy can beat Hinata._


	11. Emissary, Part VII: The True Byakugan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A battle between a daughter of the Hyuuga bloodline against a man who took the bloodline for himself.

_There’s no way this guy can beat Hinata_. Naruto thought as Hinata stepped further away towards Ao. Hinata readied her posture and brought her hands up. Ao smirked as he rushed towards her. Hinata readied herself for the inevitable impact that was rushing towards her.

Her forearms blocked his first strike that pushed her back. He struck her arm again with his left hand. Hinata parried his third strike with her left hand, turning him around. Shock stretched across his face as she struck him from behind, and sent him flying back towards his “team.”

Ao stumbled to his feet and looked over at Mei, who shot him a disappointing look.

“I knew you were useless.” She spat at him. He stood and wiped at his mouth while turning around.

“Impressive!” he exclaimed while clapping. “I did not expect such composure, power, and control from such a fragile looking child!” he mocked. Hinata smirked at his words and lowered her posture again into a ready position.

Mei looked over at Chōjūrō. “I picked the wrong person for the job; I don’t recall that Ao can do anything to defeat this little girl.” Chōjūrō smiled nervously at the truth that she spoke. “It looks like this treaty will be signed.” She mocked. “He’s just a sensor.”

Ao heard this venom that she was spitting quite loudly. Which lit a fire in his spirit. He charged again towards Hinata. They clashed half-way in the courtyard, creating a giant shockwave that pushed air in all directions. Naruto looked stunned as he watched the fight go on.

Ao began to deliver kicks to Hinata’s side, she brought he knee up and guard his strikes with her shin. His last kick resulted in Hinata striking his leg with both of her palms, sending it into the ground with a large crack as it hit the concrete floor.

Without her hands to guard her own position, Hinata felt an impact on her chest that forced to to painfully exhale, as she felt this strike, he immediately turned and struck her face with the back of his fist. The impact sent Hinata flying with a crash on the ground.

Shock and worry took over Naruto’s face. Hinata stood from the impact, her face seemed flawless at the impact. There was no scarring, and no bruising. Naruto then recalled the image of her that he saw at the point of impact. When Ao struck Hinata, the impact splashed with a light azure.

Anger and surprise entered Ao’s eyes.

“You molded your chakra to dampen the blow?” he questioned. Hinata nodded to answer him. “Impressive.” He added to her reply. “No more holding back! Show me what a true Kunoichi of Konoha can do!” He charged once again towards her.

Hinata side-stepped his first strike and took hold of his arm; she deeply planted her feet into the ground and used the leverage to carry him over her shoulder and slam him into the ground. Dust shot up from the impact as he closed his eyes in pain. He rolled to his side just as she raised her right and struck the ground.

Not missing a beat, Hinata stepped forward with one foot and pushed her right hand forward, shooting a great vacuum of air towards him. He rolled out of the way, Hinata anticipated his movements and shot another vacuum of air, which hit him in his chest and sent him into the wall of the palace.

She brought her hands towards her waist, lions began to form around her fists. Ao charged recklessly towards her, he raised his arms and tried his best to stop her assault; the lions that formed around her fists seemingly roaring with her movements. Hinata struck him in the chest with her right hand, he bent over at the pain that he felt, his vision blurred as she stepped again, planting her foot deeper into the ground as she similarly turned as he did, and struck him in the face.

She stepped forward again and the lion’s head shot forth towards the drowsy Ao that sat in a great indentation that sat in the palace wall. A great roar echoed from it as it rushed towards him.

A giant wall of black obsidian shot up from the ground and interrupted the lion’s flight.

“That’s enough.” Mei commanded. “Well done.” She congratulated Hinata. “You’ve bested one of my personal bodyguards. You win.” The lions on Hinata’s fists dissipated as she bowed down.

Mei looked over at Ao, “That’s what you get for insulting me.” She said coldly. Ao’s face held a look of frustration, exhaustion, and confusion.

“W-What do you mean?” He questioned. Mei walked over to Hinata and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You don’t know who this girl is, do you?” she said sarcastically. “She is Hyuuga Hinata, the only person who stood up to Pain. There is no way that you could defeat her.” Kakashi and Sakura walked up to the pair, Naruto was still draped over Kakashi’s shoulder.

Mei looked over at Kakashi and spoke.

“Copy Ninja, this was only a formality. My signature on this treaty was not dictated by this contest.”

“Then, how shall we decide it then?” Kakashi questioned.

“My signature was already ensured when I received my answer from Uzumaki Naruto.”

Their eyes shot open in shock at her words.

“What do you mean?” Naruto asked.

“You…” she looked at Naruto. “…are very compassionate, loyal, and you possess a good heart; something that I have not found in other nations in a long, long, time.”

Naruto smiled at the compliment.

“If Konoha can instill values in its people that you have shown me today, I will gladly sign this treaty and help you rebuild your country.”

She walked them back to Naruto’s recover room.

“Rest for tonight, tomorrow, we’ll have an escort for you back towards your country. You tell the Hokage that we will send architects as soon as we can to help.”

Mei turned and walked through the door with those last words.

“How are you feeling?” Kakashi asked Naruto.

“Better…I just want to go home.”


	12. A Vision Come True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The vision that haunted him comes to confront him.

The newly formed Team 7 arrived at Konoha’s main gate. Hinata and Sakura led the way as Kakashi dragged a still sluggish and exhausted Naruto by his side. Behind the team was a massive caravan, consisting of architects, security forces, and artisans, looking to sell their exotic wares in a distant nation.

“Okay, we’re here. The first thing we should probably do is report to Hokage-sama.” Kakashi insisted. “We’ll head that way, and then, we’ll have our long awaited break to look forward to.” Kakashi said with a smile. “You’ve all earned it.”

They walked towards the Hokage’s office, and opened the door to be greeted by Tsunade herself.

“How did the mission go?” Tsunade asked bluntly.

“Ugh, well. We had a few issues along the way, but everything turned out alright in the end. Isn’t that right, everyone?” Kakashi asked aloud. The three members of Team 7 nodded simultaneously.

“Nothing unusual happened?” Tsunade insisted. The team offered her mixed responses with their facial expressions.

“Well…not exactly.” Naruto interjected. Tsunade nodded, as if she knew something had to have gone wrong.

“What happened?” she asked again.

“Well, To start off…” Naruto replied. “Something…” he spoke as if he didn’t know what it was. “Something…caused me to collapse, and then I found myself before the Mizukage.”

He glanced over at Hinata. Looking at her, he silently mouthed:

_Do you forgive me?_

Hinata looked at him with a smile and nodded slightly. Naruto took a deep breath and continued:

“…I found myself before the Mizukage…and she offered to me one condition.”

“What was that?”

“I…I had to spend a night with her.” Naruto gulped. Tsunade’s eyes twitched with these turn of events.

“She WHAT?! That slut!” She shouted while pounding her desk into the ground.

“T-That’s how it went.” Naruto finished

“And…?” Tsunade questioned again

“And…I didn’t do it…I couldn’t bring myself to do it.” He said while smiling at Hinata again.

“And then what happened? If that was the one condition, and you didn’t do it, how did you complete the mission?” Tsunade asked again.

“We determined the treaty with a battle.” Hinata silently spoke up. “I battled The Mizukage’s personal bodyguard, a man named Ao, and defeated him.” Tsunade smiled at the news.

“That is something that is quite impressive. Your family should be proud.” She complimented Hinata. “Is that how it was settled?”

“Not exactly.” Sakura answered back. “The Mizukage decided that the one factor that determined her stance on the treaty was the fact that our team was so loyal to one another.” She looked over at Naruto. “Naruto’s reluctance to give-in to her demands was one of the dominant factors that determined her judgement on the treaty.”

“She said that if the entire Land of Fire can raise peoples’ spirits to be as loyal as this shinobi who stands before you, she would gladly help us rebuild our village.” Kakashi added with a smile.

“Good. I’m very proud of you all, you’ve done Konoha a great service. Congratulations, here’s your pay.”

She handed each of them a stack of paper bills, gently wrapped in another sleeve of paper.

“Enjoy your time off.” They bowed to her and turned to exit the building.

“Wait, Sakura!” Tsunade called out. “I need to speak with you, stay here.” Sakura nodded and stepped into the office as the rest of the team exited the building.

…

“Well…Enjoy yourselves.” Kakashi said to Naruto and Hinata as he strolled calmly into Konoha’s busy streets, leaving the two alone, together.

“So…Hinata.” Naruto said nervously. “How do you feel about…a date? It’s on me.” He asked with a shivering voice.

“I’d love to, Naruto-kun. But I have to report to my father. Maybe another time.” Hinata replied with a smile.

“Alright, I’ll save it for another day.” Naruto replied with a soft expression. “I’ll see you around.”

He walked home, his mind still filled with the unbelievable turn of events that had occurred within the last few weeks. His mind wandered over all of the strange occurrences.

_That old lady was ridiculous! I can’t believe she’d offer that up to me, trying to back me into a corner like that!...I-I wouldn’t have done that, would I?_

…

 **A/N:** No, Naruto, thanks to the awesome audience that reads this, you’d never do that. I love you guys!(and girls!)

…

He walked home, fell on his bed, and closed his eyes.

…

“Hinata-sama!” Neji cried out as he saw her walking towards the Hyuuga residence. Hinata waved as she saw Neji walking up towards her. “You’ve returned? How was your mission?” he kindly asked.

“It went fine. Nothing that our new team couldn’t handle.” She answered back with what seemed like an uncommon air of confidence. “Where is my father?”

“He’s in here.” Neji explained while motioning with his hands.

“Thank you, Neji-niisan. I’d like to speak with him in private please.”

Neji bowed and stepped away as Hinata walked up to the door and slid it open.

“Hinata, you’ve returned.” Hiashi said in a low, almost uncaring tone.

“Y-Yes, Father. I’m back, and I have some news for you.”

“What is it?”

“When I arrived in the Land of Water, I was challenged by a man named Ao.”

“Ao? One of the Mizukage’s own personal guards?”

“Yes.”

“And? How did you do? I assume that you defeated him?”

“Yes, I did, Father.”

Hiashi stood and slowly walked his way towards Hinata, who began to shiver with anxiety as he approached.

She was surprised to feel his arms wrap around her, and his chest against her head.

“Well done, my daughter.” His voice cracked with every syllable. “You have done something great. I am sorry that I had ever doubted you.”

He pulled Hinata closer and embraced her tighter.

“Can you ever forgive me for being so hard on you all these years?” He gently asked her.

“Father, I just wanted you to accept me all this time.” She said quietly

“I was wrong in my beliefs that you were weak.” He said as he began to pull away from her. Hiashi bent down, placed his hands on Hinata’s shoulders and looked into her diamond eyes with his own.

“You have proven me wrong, and that has made me the proudest father to have ever existed. You are a blessing to this family, a blessing to me.”

Hinata’s eyes began to tear up as she heard her father’s words. She wrapped her arms around him and returned his embrace.

“I’m sorry if I’ve never had the courage to tell you this, but I love you, Hinata. And I always will.”

“I love you too, Father.”

…

 **A/N:** Please, leave out any incest comments; you know I don’t mean it that way. Thanks. Stay classy.

…

Naruto awoke in the middle of the night to a knock on his door.

_Who could that be? This late at night?_

He rose from his bed, turned on the light, and opened the door. The light around the figure that stood in front of him was blinding as his night vision began to recede, and his eyes began to refocus.

He was surprised at what he saw when his eyes came into focus.

“S-Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?” He blankly asked.

“N-Naruto, do you have a few minutes? I need to talk to you about something.” Naruto shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

“Y-Yeah, sure! Come in.” he insisted while turning and leading her over to his couch.

He sat down, resting his elbows on his knees and leaned on them. Sakura sat down next to him, he turned his head to give her his undivided attention.

“So, what is it?” Naruto asked.

Sakura moved closer to him.

“Naruto…I know this is going to be weird. But we’ve been through a lot together, we have a lot of history between us.”

Naruto nodded.

“I regret having you make that promise to me. I really want to apologize for what I did to you…I’m sorry, can you forgive me?”

She moved closer to him as he moved back.

“D-Don’t worry about it, Sakura-chan. It’s okay.”

“There’s one more thing, Naruto.”

“What’s that?” he asked nervously.

“It’s been a long, nine years…I’ve lied to you all this time…Please forgive me for everything that I’ve done to deceive you.”

“…But I mean it this time…”

“…I…I love you.”


	13. A Change of Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frustrated and confused, he gives her an answer that she didn't want to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A) Naruto responds with empathy, and sorrow.  
> B) Naruto responds with frustration, and anger.
> 
> The audience chose B.

“I…I love you.” Sakura silently repeated while she moved closer to him. She pushed him back farther until his back was pressed up against the arm rest of the couch.

Before he could react, she pressed her body against his and met his lips with her own. In his shock, he pushed her back and rolled down onto the ground. He shook his head as he stood.

“What gotten into you?!” he shouted.

“I-I’ve told you. My feelings have changed. I realize now that-“

“No.” He replied in a deep tone. “It’s too late for that.”

“But we’ve been through so much together! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” She questioned

“I-It…” he took another deep breath and looked up at her. “For the last nine years…NINE YEARS! I’ve asked for your affection. I’ve wanted to be with you ever since we were kids…Why are you doing this to me?!”

His eyes softened as he began to speak again.

“After everything we’ve been through…Zabuza and Haku…The Chuunin Exams…Konoha’s destruction, through all of these years, you’ve only looked towards one person…And that person wasn’t me!”

He looked at her with eyes filled with determination.

“A lot of things have changed.” He grasped his heart as he continued. “Some things that just can’t be changed back. It’s too late, Sakura.”

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she heard his words. She noted the tough truth that he had omitted the usual suffix he would use when addressing her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Is that what you really believe?” she asked.

“It’s not what I believe. It’s what I know.”

Sakura stood, walked towards the door, and opened it.

“I’m sorry, Naruto.”

…

Naruto took a deep breath as the door shut behind him. He took a deep breath and put his hands together.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." He said rather depressingly. A puff of smoke appeared behind him.

He felt his own hand on his shoulder.

“What seems to be the problem, boss?” his own voice asked himself. The clone guided himself towards the same couch that Sakura just sat on. “Have a seat.”

“So, what seems to be the problem?”

“Why are you asking me this? YOU’RE me! You know what the problem is!”

“Yep, I was just jokin’ with ya.” The clone smiled sarcastically. “So, how do you feel about it?”

“What do you think? Was I…Was I too cold towards her?”

The clone held his chin in his hand.

“Well…let’s see.” He began. “In the last nine years, whenever you asked for some time to spend with her, whenever you asked for ONE SINGLE DATE. The only person should would think about was _him._ Does that seem fair to you?”

“…No.”

“What else is there? How much are you willing to bet that she knows about Hinata and you…or us.” He said with a smile.

“Ha, you’re funny.”

“What? Aren’t I TECHNICALLY you?”

“Let’s not make this too complicated, alright?”

“Y-Yeah...Sorry. Well, let’s stay on track…How much are you willing to bet that she knows about you and Hinata?”

“You don’t think she would…”

“Maybe…I mean why else would she choose now to do that?”

“You make a good point…But, I’d never think that she would be the type of person to try and disrupt a relationship…”

“Look at it this way, everything I’ve said about her, everything that happened in the last nine years…Isn’t it all true?”

“Everything you’ve said is true.”

“Right, so were you too cold to her?”

“…No…?”

“Right. Good, my job is done. Call me again if you need help.”

The shadow clone clasped his hands together and disappeared.

…

“Is that all you want for tonight, young lady?” an elderly clerk asked Hinata as she(the clerk) handed her(Hinata) a bag filled with noodles, pork, and vegetables, including naruto.

“That’s all, thank you.” Hinata replied in a quiet polite tone.

“Is there something special you have planned for tonight?” the clerk asked while leaning over the glass display with her elbows.

“I do.” Hinata replied with a kind nod. “Thank you again!” she shouted with a wave as she began to walk away.

_He asked me for a date, I’ll surprise him with an uninvited visit._

 As Hinata walked towards Naruto’s house, she saw Sakura walking in the opposite direction, her hand rubbing her eyes.

“Sakura-san? What’s wrong?” Hinata asked as she passed by her. Sakura rubbed her eyes a final time.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it, Hinata.” She replied. “I just want you to know that…” she placed a hand on Hinata’s shoulder. “I’m…I’m happy for you.”

“T-Thank you, Sakura-san…” Hinata replied. They both moved away in their own directions.

Hinata walked up to Naruto’s door and raised her hand.

…

Naruto had not moved from where he sat. He had spoken his mind with his shadow clone, but he was still wondering about his actions.

_Why did she decide to say this now? Wasn’t…wait. She was asked to stay behind when we reported our mission…Could that be the re-_

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

He approached the door and opened it.

“Hinata?” he asked in surprise. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

She shook her head with a smile.

“I just thought I’d come by and…” she held up the plastic bag “…cook you something. Like a date, can I come in?”

“O-Of course!” he replied with a slight blush. “Come right in.” He grabbed the bag that she held and walked into the kitchen; placing the bag on his kitchen table, he began to look for a pot to cook the ingredient. Within a few minutes, he had spread out all of the ingredients on his kitchen counter.

“How about it?” Hinata asked “I’ll make your favorite tonight.”

Naruto smiled.

“We’ll make it together.”

…

A while later, they both entered the living room with two large bowls of ramen. Together they sat on the couch, side by side. Hinata looked over at Naruto and noticed that he wasn’t eating with his usual enthusiasm.

“Naruto-kun? Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No! Of course not! Nothing’s wrong!” he lied.

Hinata placed her bowl onto the table and placed her hand onto Naruto’s. She looked up into his sapphire eyes with her diamond eyes.

“I told you that I was here for you, no matter what the problem is, I’ll be here with you.” She assured him with a smile. “Now, tell me, what’s wrong?”

“Well…” he took a deep breath. “Earlier tonight, Sakura-chan came here, and she told me that…that she loved me.” Hinata’s eyes widened at his words. “But I’m telling you the truth! I did nothing! You know that I didn’t do anything with the Mizukage!” Hinata’s eyes softened as he continued. “I would never do that to you! Not even with-“

Hinata placed a finger on his lips.

“I know you wouldn’t do anything like that…”

Naruto deeply sighed.

“You do know what tonight is, don’t you, Naruto-kun?”


	14. Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She walks into his room, and tells him that this was a special night. It's time to celebrate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A) The Narrative stays with Naruto  
> B) The Narrative goes to Sakura
> 
> The audience chose A.

"You do know what tonight is, don't you, Naruto-kun?"

“…I do.”

Hinata pushed her body up against Naruto’s. His muscles relaxed as he felt the heat between them merge. She pushed her soft lips against his. He relaxed as her lips caressed his. Hinata’s hands grasped his golden hair and moved slowly down his face while their lips were still interlocked. Her hands inched lower and lower until they reached into his shirt and began to move upwards, letting his shirt glide off as her fingers rubbed up against his body. His shirt slid off with ease and floated to the floor.

Hinata brought her hands and rested them against his bare chest. Her lips came to his again, he felt her tongue slowly slide into his mouth and gently push against his; instinctively, he caressed her tongue with his own, Hinata let out gentle moans that sent vibrations through their bodies.

Naruto’s hands grasped Hinata’s hips with his strong grasp and gently caressed her body as they moved upwards. He felt every curve in her body as his hands advanced. He took hold of the zipper of her lavender sweatshirt and began to pull it down.

Hinata’s arms relaxed as the sweatshirt followed after Naruto’s own shirt and fell onto the floor. Her hands released themselves from his face as she slowly began to break away. She gently bit down on his lip while pulling away.

“Follow me.” She silently whispered while pulling him up to his feet. Hinata pulled him towards his bedroom and sat down on his bed. She reached down and pulled her undershirt off. Naruto leaned down and kissed her again. His hand began to move slowly down her body, caressing every inch, and gently slid under her black panties. Hinata moaned as she felt his fingers upon her. Vibrations echoed through her very being as his fingers moved.

Hinata took in a deep gasp as Naruto’s fingers stopped. He began to slowly move down her body, kissing each inch of her brilliant body. Hinata formed a fist with her right hand, and began to bite down on her finger as she felt Naruto’s tongue; with every breath he took, Hinata felt her muscles twitch with ecstasy. Naruto’s tongue gently caressed her slowly; every movement he made caused Hinata to moan deeper. Hinata’s left hand entangled itself in Naruto’s golden hair and gently urged him up.

She embraced his lips with her own again, wrapping her tongue around his; she moved her hand towards his boxer-shorts and took hold of his erection with her soft grip.

With a subtle push, she laid him down on his back and moved over him. Hinata held him up and lowered herself onto him. They both let out deep, desperate gasps for air as she took him in. Slowly, she lowered herself down upon him and brought herself back up.

Her movements sent pulses of electricity through their bodies; Hinata took hold of his hands and supported herself on them. Naruto supported her with all his strength as she began to move forward and backward, rubbing her hips agains his. She pushed up against his hands and lifted herself up before she intensely lowered herself again onto him.

Her muscles tensed again as she fell on top of him. They both took in deep gasps of air as she collapsed onto him. He could hear her whispers in his ear and feel her breath on his neck. Hinata wrapped her hands around him, pulled him closer and embraced him. Naruto wrapped his arms around Hinata in the same moment.

“I have always loved you, Naruto-kun.” She whispered into his ear

“I will always love you, Hinata.” He whispered back


	15. Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An event happens that lessens the complications between the two shinobi that have had an extensive history.

The morning rays shined through Naruto’s window and penetrated his through his eyelids. He pulled his arms up and stretched until he noticed that there wasn’t a pressure on his chest. He didn’t feel her body against his, and he didn’t feel her silk hair on his body. He looked down, and sure enough, Hinata wasn’t there.

 _Was it all a dream?_ A thought flashed through his mind.

 _Well, if it was, it was one of the best dreams I’ve ever had_.

He sat up and blinked his eyes a few times. In an effort to clear his vision further, rubbed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw a note, situated on his nightstand. He yawned slowly and opened the piece of paper.

_-Naruto-kun, I had to leave early; many people still don’t know about our relationship…And we still don’t know how they will react when they find out. Whatever lies ahead for us on this path, remember that I will always stand by your side, no matter what._

_I love you,_

_-Hinata_

“So, it wasn’t a dream.” Naruto said aloud with a smile. He took a deep breath and shook his head as he stepped into his shower. He felt the warm water run down his body as thoughts raced through his mind.

_Did that really happen last night? Nine-years of nothing, and all of a sudden, she decides to do something…_

He lowered his head and let the water stream continuously down his hair.

_I know, **somewhere,** I may have fallen in love with her, but not here._

He turned the shower off and listened to the water slowly subside. Slowly, he changed into his usual clothing and sat down. Before him, sitting on the table were two bowls of ramen that went unattended the night before.

“What a shame. I was looking forward to eating this. I’m sure Hinata’s cooking is delicious.” He said to himself as he took a bowl in each hand and walked towards the kitchen. He dumped out the night old ramen, and heard a pecking sound clicking on his window.

Confused, he walked over to his bedroom and saw a pigeon sitting on the windowsill. He gently opened the window and extended his hand. The pigeon jumped onto his hand and wrapped it’s talons around his index finger.

Hanging from its leg was a small note attached to a string. Naruto slipped the note from its knot and stuck his hand out the window again, with a small flicking motion; he sent the pigeon back on its way to return home. He unwrapped the small scroll and read it out loud.

_-To Uzumaki Naruto,_

_Please report to the Hokage’s office at noon today, The Hokage has an important announcement that she must deliver, it directly concerns the Genin group that you were associated with._

_Thank you for being prompt and punctual,_

_-Shizune, Assistant to the Fifth Hokage_

Naruto took another deep breath. He closed his window, burned the message, and walked out of the door.

…

He walked among the crowded streets of Konoha while making his way to the Hokage’s office. He let his mind wander while gazing up at the passing clouds; still wondering about last night.

“Naruto-kun!” A voiced called out to him, breaking his concentration. He turned and was greeted by the brightest smile he had ever seen, and the tightest hug he had ever felt. Hinata wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in tightly. He smiled softly and returned her gesture.“Are you heading towards the Hokage’s office?” she asked him.

“I am.” He answered with a nod. She pulled away and met his eyes with hers. “Were you contacted about this ‘meeting’ as well?” He asked.

“I was.” She answered him as he turned and continued to walk. Hinata matched her stride with him and walked along side him. “I don’t know what it’s about, but from what I know is that everyone from our graduating class will be there.”

Naruto nodded again, acknowledging her answer.

…

Outside of the Hokage’s office, they found waiting for them, the remnants of the original Konoha 11. In between the others stood Tsunade and her original disciple, Haruno Sakura.

“Good you’re here! Tsunade shouted as the duo reached ear shot. Naruto’s gaze shifted away from Sakura’s, he just couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eyes.

“Here is the important news. Sakura will need a team to accompany her on a year-long peace-relations mission. You’re all here to form a new team for the mission. Who will accompany her?” Tsunade declared.

Rock Lee jumped with ecstatic enthusiasm.

“I will go! I will protect Sakura-san with my life!” Tsunade nodded at his words. From the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Ino nudging Shikamaru with her shoulder. Annoyance seemed to be the expression on his face. He took a deep breath and raised his hand.

“I’ll go. I can be the Chuunin in this four-man cell.” He said rather sluggishly.

“I’ll go to!” Ino replied with opposing joy. She smiled and hugged Sakura. Tsunade nodded to this also.

“Very good then! You’re all dismissed! Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, Lee. Follow me.” Tsunade declared again while the newly assembled team followed close behind. Sakura gazed at Naruto one last time with a weakened smile, but couldn’t see his eyes.

Together, Hinata and Naruto turned around and began to walk away from the group. She smiled gently as they walked.

“I’ll see you again, Naruto-kun. There’s something I need to take care of.”

“Okay, I’ll see you soon.” Naruto nodded.

…

Naruto decided to send the rest of his day sitting in the forest, taking in the sounds and sights of nature. If he hadn’t willingly resisted it, his stillness could have caused him to enter Sage Mode. He decided to relax and just let the aura of the world take his mind. A tint of orange began to overlap his eyes until he heard a rustling in front of him.

“Naruto…” Sakura said quietly.

“What is it?” He asked with a deep sigh. He pushed up against the tree he sat by and stood up.

“I just wanted to explain what I did last night…” Sakura continued.

“Okay, go ahead.” He replied again with a softer voice. Sakura stepped closer to him as he stood still.

“The reason why I did what I did last night is because I won’t be able to see you for a long time. I just wanted to let you know how I really feel now.” She explained. “I’m sorry for everything that I’ve done, and I understand why you were upset. I promise that I will never do that again, can you ever forgive me for what I did?”

Naruto stepped forward, with every step, Sakura seemed to flinch with uncertainty as to what was going to happen next.

To her surprise, she felt his arms wrap around her, and gently buried her face into his chest.

“Don’t worry, Sakura-chan. I forgive you.” He whispered to her.

“Thank you, Naruto.” They broke away from each other as they heard a voice in the distance.

“Sakura-san! We’re going to leave!” Rock Lee shouted. Sakura smiled at Naruto and turned around.

“Thank you so much, Naruto.” She whispered before calling out to Lee. “I’m coming, Lee-san!”

As she faded into the trees, he heard a loud bang followed by the soft rustling of leaves being pushed by dust.

“WOW! SAKURA-SAN! THAT’S AMAZING!” Naruto heard Lee’s voice penetrate through the thick forest.

He smiled when he realized what she had done.

…

Hinata and Naruto were called again to the Hokage’s office, where it was immediately urgent that they find suitable replacements for the new Team 7 that was required to be formed.

“Okay, as you both know, Team 7 is now fractured, the only people that are currently in Team 7 are you two. We’ll need to reform the team, but who should replace the last two?”

Naruto and Hinata shrugged.


	16. Siren of the Sand, Part I: The New New Team 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new mission, and a new Team 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A) The New Team 7 would be a Two-man Cell, with Naruto and Hinata.  
> B) The New Team 7 would be a Four-man Cell, with Naruto, Hinata, and two other choices.
> 
> The audience chose B.

“As the only two remaining members of Team 7, you two will decide between your new teammates.” Tsunade sat before Naruto and Hinata at her desk, her finger pointed at a list of eligible people who could fulfill the roles that were required. “For the Jounin position, your choices are: Hatake Kakashi…” Naruto flinched at the mention of his former mentor. “…Hyuuga Neji” Hinata’s nerves tensed at the mention of a trusted protector and teacher. “…Or, Yamato.”

Tsunade pointed to another list. “Your choices for the other Chuunin position.” She stared at Naruto and raised an eyebrow with a mocking smirk. “…are Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, Akimichi Chouji, or Tenten.”

 _Why doesn’t Tenten have a family name? Weird._ Naruto’s mind wandered.

“So, choose your new teammates.” Tsunade ordered with opened palms. Hinata answered for the pair:

“A-Actually, Hokage-sama, we were hoping to just let the team consist of Naruto-kun and Mysel-“

An interruption literally busted through the door of the Hokage’s office. A man with red face paint and wildly styled hair burst through that door.

“Did somebody say a new team?!” Kiba’s voice echoed through the room. He sat on top of his trusted companion, Akamaru. “We’ll join!” he shouted again.

“What do you mean? ‘We’ll’ join, you and who?” Tsunade asked in slight annoyance. A soft buzzing entered the room, followed by another man in a dark green jacket, his face barely visible, blocked by an extension of his shirt, and dark shades; the bug landed on his finger.

“Kiba, and I will join.” Shino said quietly in his flat tone. Kiba dismounted from Akamaru’s back, he walked up to Naruto and Hinata; with enthusiasm he placed each hand on Naruto’s and Hinata’s shoulder.

“What do you think?! How awesome is it that Team Kurenai is back together!” Naruto and Hinata smiled uneasily at the news. Tsunade waved her head.

“We can’t do that.” She asserted to them.

“Why not?!” Kiba shouted.

“Because it doesn’t make sense.” Tsunade began to explain. She pointed down at the list of eligible shinobi. “The standard team is made up of a Jounin, and three Chuunin; to have _three_ Chuunin and a _Genin_ …” She shot another mocking look at Naruto, who responded with an identical glace at her. “the operation will be too risky! There’s a reason for this structure, because it works.” Tsunade explained further.

“But we’re one of the most compatible teams ever!” Kiba shouted as he brought his arms on the shoulders of Hinata and Shino. “We’ve been with each other since we were kids! And we all know each other!”

Shino pushed Kiba’s arm off his shoulders. “Don’t touch me.” He approached the desk and stood in his stoic stance.

“Hokage-sama, Kiba’s words are true, we are one of the closest friends and teams ever, and we’ve known each other for a long time. We know how we fight and none of us…” his gaze scanned over all three of them. “…would ever let the other down, no matter what.” Shino lifted his hand and pointed at Naruto. “Besides, Ninja rank should not matter in any mission that concerns Naruto, even if he is still a Genin.”

“Why not?” Tsunade asked.

“…Because, his rank may be that of a Genin, but his is the shinobi responsible for saving our entire village.”

…

 **A/N:** One of the _stupidest_ things I’ve ever heard is from the 6 th Naruto Movie: Road to Ninja, when Iruka tells Naruto that he **“can’t become a Jounin, even if he saved the entire village.”**

Honestly, how **stupid** is that reasoning?

So in this story: Forget about Ninja ranks. They’re pointless.

…

Tsunade froze as she heard his well-reasoned, calm, and logical argument. He was right, by all means, Naruto should be a Jounin for what he had done, he had saved the village, something not even the highest ranking ninja could have done.

“Fine.” She replied. “If anyone is suited to go on this mission, Naruto certainly is.”

Kiba jumped for joy at her words. “So, it’s settled then! The new team for this next mission will consist of us four!”

Naruto and Hinata smiled uneasily towards each other.

“Okay, now that that’s out of the way, we’ll give you all a quick mission briefing.” Tsunade pushed over the papers on her table and revealed a map of the know world. She pointed to the Land of Wind. “This request comes from the Kazekage himself.”

“Gaara? Gaara asked for this?” Naruto asked.

“He asked specifically for you, Naruto.” Tsunade added. “The Kazekage and his council will reveal more details to you when you reach their village. The only information that we have is that the locals of the village have been hearing “strange noises” at night. Many residents have reported that their family members have gone missing. They have gone to call this phenomenon ‘The Siren of the Sand.’ But that is all we have now.”

Tsunade waved her hand over the group. “That’s it, you’re all dismissed. Be careful out there.”

The new Team 7 nodded and exited the room.

…

As the four shinobi exited the building, Naruto began to break from the group. He held his head quite low as he walked home. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino stood back, and began to reminisce about the missions that they had been though. Hinata looked past the edges of her eyes and watched Naruto walk away.

“So…Hinata, how does it feel to finally be on a team with Naruto?” Kiba abruptly brought up. Hinata felt a rush of blood to her face. “Isn’t it what you always wanted?”

She nodded silently. Shino pushed Kiba back slightly.

“Kiba, take it easy.” He stepped forward and placed a hand on Hinata’s shoulder. “Hinata, we’ve been teammates for a long time, and we’ve been friends for an even longer time. If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask us.” He said with reassurance.

“Thank you, Shino-kun.” She whispered to him.

“Isn’t that right, Kiba?” he asked flatly.

“Of course!” Kiba replied.

“I-If that’s the case, could you both do me a favor?” she asked.

“Anything.” Shino replied.

…

Naruto sat on his bed, his lights lit the hallways and rooms of his home; regret and happiness raced through his mind at the news that he had heard in Tsunade’s office.

On one hand, he had really wanted to be alone on a team with Hinata. On the other hand, he was unconditionally complimented as one of the strongest shinobi from one of his friends.

He stared blankly at the hardwood floor, a ring of his doorbell broke the trance he was in. he stood and opened the door to find Hinata looking into his eyes.

“H-Hinata? Is something wrong?” he asked.

“I just wanted to see you again.” She said with a smile and a nod. “You seemed a little troubled when we left; I just wanted to check on you.”

Naruto nodded and opened the door. She grabbed his hands and looked deeply into his eyes.

“Is something bothering you?” she asked softly.

He took a deep breath. “I really wanted us to be together on this mission; like you said, we wanted this new team to just be you and me.”

“Naruto-kun…Don’t worry about it. The least we can do is spend this night together.” She reached up, brought him closer, and kissed him.

…

 **A/N:** I said I felt “awkward” writing Chapter 14? Well, one thing I learned is that I need to be in the right mood to write with confidence, and as of this writing, I’m in the right mood…So, Chapter 10 make up scene- ** _Go!_**

…

Their lips locked, and with a gentle tug, Hinata led Naruto to his bedroom. She turned around and sat him down onto his bed. Her hand reached up to his neck and took hold of his zipper; it began to descend, but was stopped.

“Wait, what about your family? What would they say?”

Hinata pulled the zipper down until it separated with a snap. “Don’t worry.” She assured him. “I’ve taken care of that.”

“What do you mean?” He asked with a puzzled expression. Hinata moved closer to him, holding him closer, she looked into his eyes with confidence.

“I mean, you don’t have to worry about it.” Her soft lips connected with his once again. She could feel his mind and muscles relax with her words.

“…Okay.” He whispered back to her, his black and orange jacket slid off his shoulders, and silently landed on his mattress.

“Relax, Naruto-kun. I’ll take the lead tonight.” Her lavender hoodie fell to the ground in mere seconds, yet it felt like hours to him. She passionately kissed him, and gently laid him down onto the bed while her hand moved up his left leg and took hold of the zipper that secured his pants.

She slowly pulled the zipper apart, her hovering right hand began to glow green. “This is something that I wanted to show you.” She whispered into his ear. Hinata’s hand rubbed against him. He felt her hand wrap around him, as the emerald hue brightened, Hinata could feel his erection growing in her hand.

Naruto’s body felt something new. His hands were beginning to feel cold, and his core began to burn. His thoughts were interrupted by her firm grip around him. But he knew exactly what she was doing: redirecting his own blood circulation, but even he had to admit: the sensation was intoxicating.

The emerald aura dissipated into nothing. Naruto felt Hinata’s soft hand begin to move, gently caressing him; she could hear him softly moaning in his brief attempts to catch his breath.

He nearly lost himself when he felt Hinata’s mouth surround him. Slowly, she began to move, her tongue moved in a circular motion, slowly caressing him. Every motion she made sent ecstatic sensations throughout his body. He was gradually regaining control of his hands as the blood returned to them. A sensation that he had never known before overtook him, ecstasy emanating from his core combined with the returning warmth to his extremities overwhelmed him.

Hinata held Naruto softly in her mouth. Her tongue continued to stimulate him. She continued to move up and down, until she felt his climax in her mouth. When it came forth, Hinata paused and took him into her mouth entirely.

She raised her head, licked her lips, and stood up. Disrobing, she let her clothes float down to the floor. Naruto found her figure mesmerizing; her dark hair in contract to her flawless, pearl skin, her eyes shone like stars in the dim light.

She brought her hands against his chest and straddled herself above him. They both took in deep gasps for air when he entered her; vibrations of passionate ecstasy engulfed her when she took him in entirely once again. His throbbing member sent echos of carnal bliss through her entire being.

Naruto’s eyes were closed as he felt Hinata take him in. He silently moaned her name through his short, desperate breaths. Hinata began to move her hips against his. Her movements grew shorter, and faster until she arched her back in a nerve-trembling climax; losing all strength in her muscles, Hinata’s body fell on top of Naruto’s. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. She could still feel him inside her, still hard, and filled with life.

Through her deep gasps for air, she began to move her hips. Naruto’s hands moved to her sides, Hinata let out a brief cry at the cold sensation that took hold of her body.

“D-Did I hurt you?” Naruto asked. Hinata did not respond, but only offered him a shake of her head. Naruto continued moving down her body, feeling all of her alluring curves. His hands wrapped themselves around her hips and began moving with them, encouraging her. Her movements became quicker and more intense.

“Hinata, I-” He cried out. Hinata lifted her hips higher, briefly breaking their connection. Just as quickly, when he came to climax, she swiftly descended and took him in entirely again.

Her muscles lost all sensation as she moved her lips and met Naruto’s; wrapping her tongue against his, she felt him climax inside of her.

Her eyes met his once again, wordlessly, she rested her head on his shoulder, and he embraced her with her arms.

They both closed their eyes, and let their consciousness fade into the night.


	17. Siren of the Sand, Part II: Sandstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sandstorm breaks out, and Team 7 is lost within the stinging dunes of sand.

“Alright! We’re ready to go, right?!” Kiba shouted as he watched Naruto and Hinata walking towards them. Shino stood by Kiba and Akamaru, waiting for the rest of the team.

“We can’t go yet.” Shino interjected when Naruto and Hinata entered ear-shot. “I still need to make a stop at the conservatory.” He motioned for them to follow as he lead the way.

Konoha’s conservatory was run by the Nara Family and the Aburame Family. It was situated on the outskirts of the village, in the shape of a giant done, consisting of panes of glass that had been fitted together. The entire structure looked like a spherical greenhouse, the kind of greenhouse that the Yamanaka family kept their flowers in.

“Shino, the conservatory is run by your family and Shikamaru’s family?” Kiba asked aloud.

“Correct. My clan has specialized breeding methods for our bugs. The Nara clan have a special place in the forests of Konoha, a place where only members of their clan can enter. They have an important understanding and deep respect for nature due to that connection.” Shino answered.

They walked into the structure, Shino lead the way into an area that was mostly covered by sand, something that was almost unseen in Konoha. Shino raised a finger. “It won’t be long now, I’ll just need to collect a few of these.”

Several jet black beetles emerged from the sand, and took flight onto Shino’s finger and crawled into his jacket.

“So, Shino…Why do you need those new bugs?” Naruto brought up somewhat clueless.

“The change in environment that we will face will become a hardship for my regular bugs. So I need to breed the qualities of these new bugs into my own.” Shino explained.

“Okay…” Naruto replied, still a little lost. “In understand a bit of that, but won’t it take a long time for them to do that?”

“The bugs live shorter lives than what we feel as ‘long.’ By the time we reach the desert, they’ll be ready, and I can put them to use.”

“What kind of use?” Naruto asked.

“I’ll show you when we get there.”

Shino nodded, signaling that his business was done, and began to walk towards the exit.

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Hinata chimed in. “We still need to collect supplies for our journey!” she finished.

“R-Right. We’ll meet you guys again in an hour…” Naruto added. He looked over at Hinata and they both smiled.

…

They reached the desert within a few weeks. They walked through the snad dunes and waded through the heat of the desert when the wind began to pick up, grains of sand began to lift and with the power of the wind, began to scratch the faces and blurr the eyes of the new Team.

“Now, I can show you how useful the bugs are.” Shino raised his hand; his newly bred bugs formed a dome around the team. From the inside, they could hear the sand colliding and cutting away at the exoskeletons of the beetles. Not a single grain of sand entered the protective shelter.

After a time of walking in a shaded, cool dome of insects, the sandstorm subsided, Shino moved his hand and a small opening appeared in the dome.

“We’re here.” He stated flatly. The dome broke apart, and the beetles flooded his jacket once again. They were met by two shinobi bearing headbands with the symbol of the sand, an hourglass.

“Halt!” one of them shouted. “Identify yourselves!” he commanded. Shino stepped forward and replied in his calm tone.

“We’re shinobi from Konoha,” he pointed to his headband. “We’ve been called to complete a mission, as requested by the Kazekage.”

The Sand shinobi eased his stance. “We’ve been expecting you.” He bowed. “Please, follow me. I will personally escort you to see the Kazekage.”

The followed the guard into a building that seemed very familiar, almost built in the same style that the Hokage’s office was built. They came before a door. “Please, remember to show proper respect as you meet the Kazekage.” He clarified.

The door slid open, and in the center of the room, stood the three Sand Siblings, Temari, Gaara and Kankurō.

“The shinobi of Konoha…Welcome.” Gaara calmly greeted them.

“It’s an honor to be personally summoned here, Kazekage-sama.” Hinata bowed.

“How are you doing, Gaara?” Naruto asked casually. The rest of his team shot each other nervous looks; both Temari and Kankurō looked at Naruto with condemnation.

“I’ve been doing well, Naruto.” Gaara replied with a smile, he waved off the judgmental looks that Temari and Kankurō gave to Naruto. “But my people are in need of your help.” He motioned for the team to step forth. Pointingin down at a map, he began to explain.

“This small village to the north has been experiencing things that have only been told in our oldest myths and legends. We call the story ‘The Siren of the Sand.’…And we’re in need of your help.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how does the story go?” Naruto asked with interest. Temari stepped forth.

“Legends tell of a Sand Goddess that would emerge from her slumber when she felt the world was no longer in peace. What she would do is use the desert heat to project visions into people’s minds…She’d use this power to send people into a trance, letting them see whatever she wanted them to see…For some reason, it’s said that she usually tricks men.”

“This small village has been suffering from people just disappearing in the night, when their family members saw them in the night and called out to them, they gave no response.” Kankurō continued.

“So, what makes us so special, won’t the same thing happen to us?” Kiba asked.

“That’s it, we’re not sure. It’s unlikely that travelers could succumb to the problems, but there’s a reason why Gaara personally chose Uzumaki Naruto.”

“…I know that if anyone could fight off the effects of this mythological figure, it’d be Naruto.” Gaara added.

“Is there anything else we should know before we set off?” Hinata asked.

“Just be careful out there.” Gaara added again. The team left the building and began to head north.

Halfway to their destination, another wind began to pick up. Shino shielded his team from the cutting sands again, just as he had before. But something was different this time.

This was no natural sandstorm.

The dome of beetles began to break; the wind began to push the team apart, and seemed to force them into a giant cyclone of rotating air.

“Hold on, everyone!” Naruto shouted as the team began to break apart.

“Kiba, do it now!” Shino commanded. Kiba nodded and looked over to Akamaru.

“Akamaru! Now! Dynamic Marking!” Akamaru followed loyally, and a liquid struck all four of the team members.

The cyclone broke with a shockwave, Naruto’s hand was slipping from Hinata’s as the air pushed them further apart, he tried his best to keep his grip on her hand.


	18. Siren of the Sand, Part III: Weathering the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and Hinata struggle in the harsh desert to find the rest of their team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A) The couple manages to stay together  
> B) The couple becomes separated
> 
> The audience chose A.

“Hold on!” Naruto cried out and his grip tightened around Hinata’s hand. In the vortex that was pushing them outward, they began to pull towards one another. Slowly, they inched closer together towards the center of the spinning sands.

“Kiba! Find us when you can manage!” Shino commanded before he was pushed out of the cyclone and jolted out of sight.

“Stay where you land! Akamaru and I will-” Kiba and Akamaru were forced out of the storm, just as Shino had been, cutting off his orders to Naruto and Hinata; bringing her closer to him, Naruto pulled her toward his chest and hugged her, Hinata wrapped her arms around him in a returning embrace.

“Hold on to me, Hinata. I’ll keep you safe.” He whispered. She rested her head against his chest as he pulled her close. “I know you will.” She whispered back.

The vortex exploded with a violent force, sending the teammates in opposite directions. Naruto and Hinata managed to hold onto each other. Naruto landed with a single impact on the coushioned grains of golden sand with Hinata in his arms, his breath rushed out of him at the impact; in a swift whiplash, his head collided with a stagnant stone.

Hinata looked up to find Naruto’s eyes closed in deceptive peace. “Naruto-kun?” Naruto gave no response.

She rushed to her feet and tilted his head forward to discover a stream of scarlet rushing down his blonde hair. Hastily, she dragged him over to a nearby rock into the shade, reaching into her bag, she pulled out a roll of bandages and began to gently wrap the cloth around his head. She took a deep breath while sitting in the cool shade.

“Kiba-kun. Please find us quickly.”

Behind her, a black bettle flew by.

…

Kiba fell into the sand dunes with a confortable landind. He stood in the hot sun and looked around.

“Akamaru!?”

No reply. “Damn it. Now I actually gotta find them.” He raised his nose to the wind, and took in the dry breeze.

“Got it.” With confidence, he turned around and ran off.

…

Shino floated to the ground with ease while surrounded by a black sphere of bugs. They reentered his sleeves while he rested his hands in his pockets. A lone bug flew towards him, with a finger extended, he brought the bug to eye level.

“I see.” He said aloud. “take me to them.” The bug lead the way, buzzing and gliding. Shino raised a hand, and the bugs flooded out again, creating a large barrier against the sun’s burning rays. He turned towards the bug and slowly began walking.

…

Naruto’s eyes began to blink; a slight breath entered his lungs as he looked up. He shook his head and looked toward the horizon, in his vision, he saw a silhouette on the horizon walking towards him.

“Hinata?” He asked.

“Naruto-kun?! You’re awake!” He heard her voice echo from behind him. The image that was approaching him vanished into the desert haze. He turned and looked up towards her.

_What was that?_

“Y-yeah, I’m awake…Wh-What happened?”

She bent down and grabbed his hand. “We were pushed out of the vortex, we’ve been separated from the rest of our team.” He felt a sharp pain rip at his cranium; reaching back, he looked at his scarlet stained hand.

“What happened to _me?”_

“When you were pushed out of the vortex, your head hit a small rock, and knocked you unconscious.”

“But you were there for me.” He replied with a smile.

_That must have been it, just a small hallucination._

“What are we doing now?”

“We’re still waiting for Kiba-kun and Akamaru. Shino instructed us to wait for them to find us.”

“How do you think they’ll find us?” Naruto asked.

“I’m sure they’ll find a way.” Hinata looked down at a stain on her sleeve. “For now, we’ll just wait.”

Hours seemed to pass by while they waited; desperate for light in the looming darkness, Naruto dragged a large piece of wood towards the shade. Hinata placed an explosive tag on the log and set it off.

The tag exploded, and engulfed the wood in a raging flame that stained the blue tinted sand with bright orange. They sat around the glowing flames; staring into it and watching it dance in the night. The dancing flames were mesmerizing, almost hypnotic.

Their eyelids became heavy, and soon, they fell asleep.

…

 _“Who is this that comes to my domain, seeking my presence?”_ Naruto heard a voice echo in his head. The voice echoed through his mind. _“What is it that you seek from me?”_ It asked again.

 _“I’m here to ask you to stop what you’re doing to the village that sits north of the main village in the Land of Wind…”_ he replied.

 _“You wish to speak with me?”_ the voice mocked him. In his mind, he saw a slender woman with golden hair and eyes, clothed in a red dress that rand down the length of her body, seemingly floating above a pile of sand, _“Then come to me…”_ she invited him seductively.

His eyes shot open, and he saw the blue tint of his surroundings. He silently stood and looked towards Hinata; he tried his best to speak, but found that his lips did not move, as if his mouth was sealed shut. His body began to move silently into the night.

 _“Now, close your eyes, when you open them, we’ll finally meet.”_ His body did as she commanded, his eyes closed, as much as he tried, he couldn’t open them.

…

The sun rose, and Hinata awoke to smoldering flames and the hot desert sun. She looked towards the horizon and saw three figures looming in the distance. They walked closer, and came into view: Kiba, Shino, and Akamaru. Panic entered her mind when she noticed that Naruto was missing.

“Kiba-kun! Shino-kun! Something terrible has happened!” She ran towards them. “Naruto-kun is gone! He must have left in the night! I don’t know where he is!”

“Don’t worry, Hinata.” Kiba replied. “Akamaru, let’s go!” They both raised their noses to the wind, took a sniff, and ran off into the sunrise. “He went this way!”

Shino nodded to Hinata, they ran off, following their teammate.

They ran through the duns of the desert for what seemed like days before coming across something rather strange: a forest.

They stopped in their tracks as the emerald landmark came into view, a great contrast to the golden sand that surrounded it.

“What does this mean, Shino?” Kiba asked.

“Do you two remember that storm that torn us apart?” They nodded. “That storm was caused by something supernatural. Whatever caused that storm, must be the cause behind this anomaly.”

“And do you think that Naruto-kun is there?” Kiba sniffed the air.

“We’re sure he’s in there, right, Akamaru?” Akamaru barked happily in response.

They approached the forest with caution. When the trees came into view, they noticed something even more odd, the soil that the trees were growing out of, wasn’t soil at all, it was sand.

“Be careful, we don’t know what we’ll find from here on out.” Shino warned. The entered the forest with silent footfalls that sunk into the fine grains of sand. They were guided by Akamaru’s Dynamic Marking that still lingered in the noses of Kiba and Akamaru himself. They entered the heart of the forest, it was illuminated by a single ray of light.

And in that light, stood Naruto.


	19. Siren of the Sand, Part IV: Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team 7 confronts the infamous mythical figure of the Sand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A) Team 7 lets their emotions stay in line.  
> B) Team 7 lets their emotions take over.
> 
> The audience chose B.

Naruto stood in the ray of light with a seemingly deathly stillness. He made no movements to acknowledge the presence of his team, his breathing was barely auidible or visible.

“Naruto-kun!” Hinata shouted with relief as she saw him. Hinata swiftly took off towards the one person she loved.

“Hinata, wait!” Shino shouted as Hinata ran out of his grasp. Just as she was within reach of him, a wall of sand rose from the ground, and pushed her back. The force that struck her sent her careening back towards Kiba and Shino, crashing with a cloud of dust on the forest floor.

Kiba and shino rushed to her side, and turned to see more sand rising, this time, it rose around Naruto himself. The grains of sand formed into a woman, a woman with long, flowing blond hair, and glowing gold eyes. Her dress ran down the entire length of her body, stained in a blood red hue. She seemed to float above the ground, almost in flight.

She moved behind him, wrapped her arms around him, and rested her chin in the fold of his neck. Shino, Kiba and Hinata stared at the woman who had just formed in front of their eyes.

“This must be her.” Shino whispered. The three of them stood up and slowly began to advance towards the light. “You must be…”

“I am.” The woman interrupted him with a deceptilvely soft and inviting voice. “Why are you here? What is it that you want from me?”

“We just want Naruto ba-” Kiba interjected

“Save me from your lies. You came here to do more than that.” Hinata stepped forward.

“We came here to ask you to stop what you have been doing.” She corrected. “We have been sent here on a mission to investigate the disappearances of many family members in a northern village. That is all we want.”

The mythological figure merely smirked. “You expect me to just bow down to your whims? Why is it that I should listen to you?”

No one could offer up an answer.

“Do you realized why those men came to me?” she raised her hand, and the team heard what seemed ling dozens of footsteps falling on the forest floor. “They came to me, because they wanted to.” She turned over to Naruto and lightly kissed his cheek.

Kiba cringed at her words. Impulsively, he bend down to his knees and took off.

“Gatsūga!” Both Kiba and Akamaru jumped forward, spinning at an intense speed, appearing as cyclones soaring through the air. They headed directly for the mythic goddess.

And crashed.

Directly into a giant wall of sand.

A giant wall of sand that began to immediately consume them.

“Kiba-kun! Akamaru!” Hinata shouted; neither of them had any time to answer, as the sands swallowed them whole, and dragged them into the ground. Shino and Hinata watched powerlessly, as their teammate’s shouts for help became muffled through the sand.

“Don’t you understand?” the Goddess asked. “There is nothing that can stop me.” The footsteps that they had initially heard earlier grew louder. They looked around, and saw dozens of men emerging from the trees.

Before they had time to react, Shino and Hinata were both surrounded by men wearing headbands that indicated them as Sand Shinobi.

 “The world is filled with so much misplaced faith, so many lies, so much…infidelity. Why else do you think that this young man came to me?” She tightened her embrace around Naruto’s stone-still body. “He came to me because of a doubt in his mind. A doubt in his heart, a doubt to his love for you.”

Her words chipped away at Hinata’s confidence. “I can see it in his memories. He has had many troubles in the past with his faithfulness, he has been tempted by one of the most powerful women in this world, and harder still, he had to turn down the love of one that he has yearned for since he was a boy.”

The zombie-like shinobi stepped closer to Hinata and Shino. “His heart has wavered, he wanted to come to me. And now, he belongs to me.”

Hinata’s eyes focued on his, and found that they were empty.

“If you really believe that he truly loves you, take him from me.”

She raised her hand, and the shinobi descended upon them.

Naruto charged forward, arms being dragged by the winds behind him. Hinata abruptly hesitated, before she realized what she would have to do. Shino raised his hands and clasp them together in front of him. Instantaneously, his specialized scarab beetles formed around the three of them, creating a large cylinder. The tough exoskeletons of the beetles held together like flexible steel, keeping out all the other shinobi.

“Hinata, I know you can do this!” Shino shouted. “Bring him back to us!” Hinata nodded as Naruto closed him on her. He raised his fist and brought it down. Hinata blocked it with her left hand, and let his force carry him through, where he stumbled, taking a few steps to catch himself.

Hinata swept her legs towards his, and took him off his feet. Naruto fell onto his back, and rolled away. A lifeless expression still held it’s grasp on his features.

He charged at her again, bringing his knee forward, Hinata blocked the blow with her hand, but felt the sharp force of his elbow fall onto her spine. He raised his hand again, and struck her cheek with an immense force the sent her forcefully to a crash on the ground.

She rolled away from him and regained her composure.

“Hinata, you can’t just act defensively! If we’re going to save him, we’ll need to knock some sense into him!”

She took a deep breath, and eased her stance, taking on the stance of the Hyuuga clan’s gentle fist. Naruto stood still, looking at her with his own eyes that seemed to lack life, and then took off in a charge again.

" **Byakugan!** " Veins began to extrude from her eyes as she examined his chakra trails that lined throughout his entire body. She moved her right leg back in a smooth gliding motion.

_If I can prevent the chakra flow to his lower body, I can stop him without hurting him._

" **Juken! Hakke Sanjūni Shō!** " She struck his shoulders, immobilizing his arms, her quick, unseen movements struck his legs and knees, pushing him back with every strike. She saw that his legs had lost their ability to support him as he fell back.

 **“Hakke Kūshō!”** she extended her palm with a single step forward, the air collided with Shin’s beetles, and a shockwave flew back towards them. Naruto fell forward, and into Hinata’s waiting embrace.

She held onto him tightly, and gently laid him down onto the soft green grass. He coughed, and when he opened his eyes, life had returned to them, they went from a dark, deathly blue to the lively sapphire. He looked up at her, and smiled.

The banging on Shino’s bugs dissipated. The bugs scattered and gathered to Shino once again. The shinobi that had descended upon them had all fallen, and no longer posed a threat.

The Mythical Sand Goddess reformed in front of them.

“I am impressed. For someone to be able to break a man’s heart away from my grasp is a rare feat.” Hinata and Shino readied themselves for the unexpected.

“You have truly won his heart. You have given me hope. If there are more people like you in this world, then those who reside here may still deserve a chance at redemption.” Her figure began to dissipate with the winds, her red dress, blowing away as sand with the wind.

“Tell the Kazekage, that I will always be watching, and if this world falls into further turmoil…I will return.”

She disappeared before their eyes. The forest, like a mirage, faded from their vision, and before them, Kiba and Akamaru appeared.

“What the hell happened?!” Kiba shouted.

“You disappeared into the sand, but now, you’re fine.” Shino answered. The shinobi all woke up, all of them aware of what had just happened. Naruto’s eyes shifted again.

“That was crazy.” He added.

“I’m so glad you’re back, Naruto-kun.” Hinata said with joy.

“I’m happy that you were here to save me. Thank you, Hinata.” He said with a smile.

“So…Now what? Are we done?” Kiba asked.

“It seems so.” Shino answered. The sand shinobi gathered and thanked the team for saving them. They turned around, and found that a road, seemingly moved by a divine wind, had been formed directly at their feet. They turned around and headed back to the Kazekage’s headquarters.

“I need some help.” Naruto begged. “I can’t walk.” He smiled at Hinata. Kiba and Shino helped him up, and sat him on top of Akamaru. He rode the companion all the way back.

When they arrived, they saw the familiar sight of Gaara and his siblings.

“Did you confirm our suspicions?” Temari asked.

“We did.” Shino answered. “It was indeed what appeared to be what you call ‘The Siren of the Sand.’ Before she disappeared, she asked for us to send you a message, Kazekage-sama.”

“What is it?” Gaara nodded.

“She says that the world is filled with infidelity. She will always be watching. And if turmoil was to ever be present again, she will return.”

Gaara nodded. He knew what this meant. Outside, on the main road of the village, he raised his hands.

The sands of the village itself rose at his command. Together, the grains formed into a statue, that took the form of a woman. The entire village gathered to see the spectacle.

Several hundred feet tall, the statue was being held up by the only shinobi who could manipulate sand as if he were a God himself, the Kazekage. Gaara clasped his hands together, the sand compressed with his command.

The figure bore the form of a woman, her right arm outstretched, in both welcome and warning, against the strong winds of the nation, the sand stood still, unmoving and strong. Gaara moved forward and faced the people that he led.

“People of the Sand!” his voice boomed across the entire village. “You have chosen me as the Kazekage, you have chosen me to lead you, but there are forces much greater than us!” He motioned towards statue. “One of the greatest myths of our people is that of the Siren of the Sand. Today, we have discovered that this is no myth! She is as real as the sand that you stand on! Today, I implore you, as my people, as the people that I hold close to my heart! Keep your faithfulness to those you love! Keep your heart pure! Some of you would feel fear in your hearts at the sight of this monument! But her presence in our blessed village should be a beacon of faith and love!”

The crowd cheered.

“Let this monument stand as a promise to the Gods themselves that we will always remain faithful to those we love! Our hearts shall never falter, no matter what the circumstances!” He waved his hand across the crowd, who cheered even louder.

Team 7 smiled at the cheering crowd as they walked off into the distance back home.


	20. Bloodlines, Part I: Love Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto's thrown into circumstances that disrupt the love that he has for Hinata

_The last time I went shopping for Naruto-kun, we didn’t have a change to eat together…Should I go get something…_

Hinata thought to herself while wandering the crowded streets of Konoha. She aimlessly wandered down Konoha’s main street, her head turning, looking from one side to the other.

“I’ll do it.” She said aloud to herself. Her gaze shifted to the same store she had bought ingredients from weeks ago. She walked up to the street stall and greeted the old woman with a smile.

“Why, if it isn’t the young and beautiful Hyuuga Hinata! What can I do for you today?” She enthusiastically asked.

“Hello, Obaa-san!” Hinata replied with an even bigger smile. Hinata pointed at a multitude of ingredients as she pulled out a small purse from her hoodie.

“My, my, that certainly is a lot, is there a special occasion for tonight?”

“Isn’t that what you asked me a few weeks ago?” Hinata said while laughing.

“Is it?” the elderly woman replied. “I must be getting too old for this.” She added with a smile.

Hinata smiled back.

“It is a special night, for a very special person”

…

The sound of hundreds of disappearing shadow clones echoed through a small village that sat on the outskirts of Konoha’s main village. Pillars of smoke appeared and dissipated throughout the small village.

“Thank you! You saved us!” An elderly man said to Naruto. He extended his hand, which Naruto took and shook with enthusiasm.

“Y-Yeah, it wasn’t a problem.” Naruto said with sweat dripping down his brow. He took deep breaths and bowed to the elderly man with respect. He smiled and turned around to return to Konoha.

He had walked a few hundred yards before he heard a small voice call out to him.

“Onii-chan! Onii-chan!” A little girl dressed in what looked like torn rags ran up to him and tugged on his wrist. Naruto turned and smiled at the child.

“What is it?” he asked kindly.

“I need your help, I lost something my mom wanted me to bring home.” The little girl pleaded.

“Oh, okay!” Naruto responded. “Where did you lose it?” The little girl pointed into the forest. Naruto smiled “Let’s go find it together.” He whispered back to her.

He followed her into a somewhat dark and dreary clearing in the forest. He was still exhausted from the labor that he had been contracted to provide.

“Do you see it?” he asked blankly. “I don’t see it at all.” He added. The little girl stepped in front of him in the middle of the clearing.

“Onii-chan.” She lowered her head. “I-I’m sorry.” She whispered. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

“What? What are you tal-“ A loud crack sounded from behind him, and an immense pain shot through the back of his skull. He fell with a loud thud on the padded forest floor. His vision beheld the image of the little girls feet, he listened and watched, noticing another pair of feet step into his field of view.

He then heard a clink, and saw a small bag come into view. The little girl bent onver and picked up the small leather sachel.

“Onii-chan…I’m really sorry.” She whispered one last time before he heard her footfalls echo away, and his vision faded to black.

…

The evening was growing late, with an orange hue on the horizon, Hinata held in her hand a plastic grocery bag in her hands. She walked forward until her teammates, Kiba and Shino came into view.

“Kiba-kun! Shino-kun! Have either of you seen Naruto-kun? I tried his house, but no one answered.” She shouted to them. The approached her and shook their heads.

“When did you last see him?” Kiba asked.

“He was sent on a mission to help a small village rebuild several buildings, they used him because of his ability to produced shadow clones.” Shino looked towards the horizon again. “But he should have been back by now.”

“Th-thank you, Shino-kun, I’ll be sure to check to see where he is.” Hinata nodded to him.

Kiba and Shino waved to her as they moved further into the distance.

_Where are you, Naruto-kun?_

…

Naruto’s eyes blinked, the black vision that held his eyes captive began to lift. He blinked and cleared his vision. He tried his best to bring his hand to rub his eyes, but they didn’t move. He felt extremely weak. He looked up, and saw that his hands were restrained by chains that hung from a concrete ceiling. Gaining his wits, he looked around, he was in a large room, dull and grey, the only light he saw was a light that held a spotlight on him; other than that, it seemed like the room was pitch black.

He swung above the ground, his feet barely touching the ground, he felt pain echoing from the back of his head, obviously from the head wound he had suffered earlier. His shirts had been removed, and he felt a great stinging across his back. But what was even worse, he felt his arms losing sensation. It almost felt as if his arms were being pulled out of their shoulder sockets.

He heard footsteps, loud echoes that came from the shadows.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the Hero of Konoha himself.” Even more footfalls were heard. Before he had realized it, there were five figures standing in front of him.

He managed to temporarily ignore the pain that ripped through his muscles and looked up.

That’s when he noticed the most distinctive traits of the figures that stood in front of him.

Opaque, Milky White eyes.

“What the hell is going on here?” he breathed out. “Did you do all of this? Did you put that poor girl up to tricking me?”

“We did, but I assure you, we did not ‘put’ her up to anything, despite what you may discern from your current situation, lesser people from the slums and peasant classes will gladly…in face, WILLINGLY help with request from ANY of the great shinobi families. Especially the prestigious Hyuuga.”

“What the hell do you want with me?” he questioned again. A gauntleted hand placed itself on his shoulder, an immediate and alarming shock ran through his body.

He felt weaker. Extremely weaker.

“What have you done?” He asked desperately. The woman, presumably, the leader of this band of shinobi stepped forward to offer an answer.

“This is a device that the royal guard of the Daimyo use, it is a device specifically designed to deal with shinobi.”

He felt a shock again, and once again, he felt weaker.

“This device allows someone to absorb, and even transfer chakra from one person to another. You cannot escape.”

She moved forward and firmly grasped his chin.

“Now, to answer your question…” She added while forcefully pushing his face away. “We know about you, we know who you are, and what you can do. We also know that you are currently in a relationship with one of our own, Hyuuga Hinata.” She stepped back and opened her arms, indicating to those who stood behind her.

“We are here to stop you from destroying the incredible power of our bloodline.” She walked up closer to him, and slapped him with the back of her hand. Naruto’s face held a look of grim determination. He closed his eyes and tried to remain calm.

“No response?” she asked sarcastically. Naruto felt the chakra of the world around him as he closed his eyes.

“He’s trying to use Nature Chakra!” One of the other figures called out.

“I don’t think so.” The female leader snapped. She reared her leg back and delivered a swift, and harsh kick right between Naruto’s legs.

His concentration broke immediately; pain, immense pain rang throughout his body.

“Listen to me, Uzumaki Naruto!” the leader called out again. “You WILL NOT taint our bloodline! You WILL end this relationship you have with Hyuuga Hinata!” He swung above the ground, his back stinging, his head aching, his arms breaking, and his will broken.

What could he do in this situation?

“Just kill me and be over with it then.” He solemnly finalized.

“We can’t do that. The disappearance of the Hero of Konoha himself? That is not possible. But there is one thing we can do.” She reached behind her and pulled out a picture of Hinata, and a lighter.

“You see, to preserve our bloodline, our gift that blesses our great family, we are not above killing our own.” She flicked her finger against the starter of the lighter, with the flame dancing before Naruto’s eyes, she held the picture of Hinata over it, and let it catch fire.

He watched the image of the woman he loved burn before his very eyes.

His arms were nearly separated from their sockets, pain echoed through every muscle, every fiber of his being.

“Fine.” He said deeply.

“Good.” He felt another shock, when he next opened his eyes, he felt the cold floor next to his face, and watched as the figures took steps away from him, leaving him lying lifeless in a cold, dark room.

…

The moon had risen in the night sky when Hinata finally saw Naruto limping in her field of vision.

“Naruto-kun!” she shouted as he stepped forward. His eyes opened in shock as he heard her voice. She walked up to him and grabbed hold of his hands, she grasped them tightly and squeezed them lovingly.

“Where have you been all day?” Hinata asked.

“I-I’ve been busy.” He flinched.

“I want to tell you something, I wanted t-“

“Hinata, listen…” He interrupted her. “There’s something that I need to tell you, right now.”

“W-What is it?” she asked with worry.

“W-We…We can’t do this anymore.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Hinata…The truth is…I’ve lied to you all this time…I-I…don’t love you.”


	21. Bloodlines, Part II: The Hyuuga Conspirators

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hyuuga Conspirators take action on the threat that they made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A) Hinata decides to ask Naruto further why he's denying their love.  
> B) Naruto passes out from the injuries he suffered
> 
> The audience chose B.
> 
> This was the last chapter of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" experiment.

There was a long silence after Naruto’s bold lie. He turned, silent, and began to walk away; tears welled up in both of their eyes as he slowly stepped further and further away.

It was almost as if the tears that streamed down their cheeks, and fell upon the cold dirt were loud gongs that run out through their hearts, both aching from this confession.

_I’m sorry Hinata, but I’m only doing this for y-._

Hinata held her face in the palms of her hand as tears fell from her eyes. Something caused her to look up from her sorrow; and when she brought her face out of her hands, she saw Naruto’s body, lying face down in the cold dirt.

“Naruto-kun!” she cried when rushing to his side. She placed her hands on his back and slightly pushed him. “Naruto-kun? Wake up.”

No response; worry began to grow in her mind with every passing second. Thinking fast, she reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to his house. She firmly grasped it in her hand, and with ease, she placed him on her back, and took off into the direction of his home.

Her hand floated to the light switched as she entered the main hall of his house. Hinata entered Naruto’s room and placed him down, gently onto his bed. His face had no expression, not even a reaction from being set down onto his own bed.

Her hands hovered over his body and began to glow green. His face flinched with pain and slight relief, which brought a small smile to her own face. Soon, she decided to remove his shirt to get a better look at his wounds. Her hand reached for her zipper and pulled it down, opening up his jacket. She reached into her back pocket and revealed a small pocket knife. A small incision at the collar of his shirt allowed her to slowly rip his shirt open. Her eyebrow flinched. His body was covered in dark purple bruises, and running along the center of his chest and stomach was a deep scar, healed by what seemed by be a unreliable and uncaring effort. Her tears fell onto his chest as her hands glimmered across the scar. When the wounds began to heal, Hinata decided to try and turn Naruto over, to examine his back. She heard his heavy breaths as he was turned over.

She loudly gasped as she saw what was on his back; the same crudely healed scars; hundreds of lashes that ran across his entire back.

_Naruto-kun…Who did this to you?_

She thought back to how stubborn he could be, and decided that he would never tell her who had done these terrible things to him. She decided to send for help.

Moments later, Hinata stood in front of the door of the Yamanaka home. She slowly knocked on it, and seconds later was greeted by the one person she was looking for.

“Hyuuga Hinata? What are you doing her so late?” Ino’s father, Yamanaka Inoichi asked with concern. “Is something wrong?”

“Hello, Inoichi-san,” She replied with a bow. “Something is wrong, and I come here humbly asking for your help.” She stated again, with an even lower bow this time.

“Tell me on the way.” He said while stepping out of the door.

They arrived shortly and stood in front of Naruto who still lay motionless on his bed.

“His condition is terrible! We should take him to the hospital right away!” he shouted towards her. With concern, worry, and regret Hinata looked down as she delivered her answer.

“I would like to, but I’m afraid if the people who did this to him are still watching him. I’m afraid that he may suffer even more if people know he’s hurt.”

“I see. He looks like he’s in bad condition, but I think he’ll make it.” Inoichi started. He placed his hand over Naruto’s temples, and closed his eyes. Minutes passed before he opened his eyes again and looked towards Hinata with confidence and worry.

“What happened?” Hinata asked. Inoichi took in a deep sigh filled with worry.

“Are you sure you want to know?” He asked her.

“Please, tell me.” Hinata said again with a new grim determination.

“Naruto was ambushed in the small village where he had his mission. He was set up by a young girl, and taken into a dark room by a group of people.” He shook his head at the images that he recalled. “There, they tortured him with hundreds of lashes to his back as he faded in and out of consciousness.” He took another deep breath. “They took a Kunai, and ran in down his chest.” He pointed to the scar that ran down Naruto’s chest. “They told him that he was going to have to end his relationship with you.”

Hinata’s eyes opened as she gasped.

“Is that all?” She asked him.

“No, there’s one more thing…The people who abducted and tortured him, they were from your clan-They were of the Hyuuga bloodline.” He said in disappointment and disgust.

“Do you have any specifics that you can share with me? Do you have their names, or descriptions of their appearance?”

“Yes, I could see them clearly.” Inoichi gave Hinata exact, and perfect descriptions of those who had done this to Naruto.

“Thank you, Inoichi-san…And please, don’t tell anyone about Naruto-kun.”

“I know you will take care of him. What will you do?” he asked.

“I know what I must do. Please, do not worry.”

As Inoichi left, Hinata healed Naruto as best she could, before leaving him in what seemed like a peaceful slumber.

He would rest, but no harm would come to him anytime soon.

…

Hinata met with the conspirators, who accepted her with the proper respect that befitted her role within the family. In her conversation with them, she asked that they meet her in a small forest clearing in Konoha. This, being a request from the daughter of the Hyuuga Patriarch himself, they gladly obliged. Hinata met with the five Hyuuga conspirators in the clearing a few hours later. She stood alone with five other figures stood before her.

“You requested that we meet you here, Hinata-sama. What is wrong?” the leader of the group asked aloud.

“I need to talk to you five about something.” Hinata replied with a quiet confidence. “Why did you abduct and torture Uzumaki Naruto?” a small bit of rage built within her.

The conspirators flinched, they were taken aback at the accusation.

“Hinata-sama! We did no such thing!” the leader shouted back, she glared an ugly star towards the four that stood behind her.

“Don’t lie to me. You know who I am, and who my father is, why did you do this?”

“We only wanted to preserve who we are! We wanted to keep the power of the Byakugan within our bloodline! Nothing more!”

Hinata took step towards her, her face hardened with determination.

“Listen, I can be with anyone that I choose to be with. You have no right to intervene in any of these matters. If you interfere again, you will face the worst consequences that we can enforce!” Hinata warned.

The leader of the group bowed silently. “Understood.”

“Very well, you are dismissed.” Hinata said finally, she turned around, and listened to the footfalls walking _towards_ her.

“I understand what we have to do now.”

“Hinata, look out!” a voice echoed from the canopy.

…

Naruto awoke to the sun’s rays illuminating a small piece of paper on the table next to his bed. He rubbed his eyes and cleared his vision. Surprise took him when he realized he was in his bedroom, and his shirt was ripped in half.

He looked over at the piece of paper, and opened it.

_Naruto, as soon as you can, head to the outskirts of Konoha, here is the location of the opening._

_-Shino._

His eyes widened, the memory of last night was blurry, and he did not recall perfectly what had happened. But that didn’t matter, now he had to take off as soon as possible.

He ran out of his house, bursting out of the door, and began jumping across the rooftops, his shirt still ripped in half, showing the scars that he had suffered. He hurried, but every step he took caused pain to rip through his body.

…

“Hinata, look out!” A voice echoed from the canopy.

Hinata turned and pushed down the kunai that was being pushed towards her mid-section. She held on to it and delivered an elbow to the person who attempted the assassination. The leader of the Hyuuga conspirators was forced back towards the other four.

From the trees two figures lept out, Hinata’s own teammates, Shino and Kiba stood beside her.

“What the hell are you doing?” Kiba shouted. “Are you fucking crazy?!”

“Shut up, you fucking dog! You do not understand our motivations! Stay out of our business!”

Footsteps were heard from the forest, they looked up and saw the orange and black outfit that belonged to Naruto.

Pain still shot through his body. When he reached the clearing, he fell over in agony.

“Naruto!” Shino shouted.

Pain still ripped through Naruto’s body, they noticed that he had stopped breathing.

No one moved a single inch when they heard the sound of bubbling, and saw a red aura engulf Naruto’s body. 


	22. Bloodlines, Part III: The Demon in My Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pain that he endured unleashes the demon within him that he never wanted her to see.

The silence that overtook the group was terrifying. Not a single breath was heard, but the deafening sound of the bubbling scarlet aura continuously grew, louder, and louder. It slowly moved to engulf his entire being. They gazed at him and saw that his nails were sharpened, and extending like claws; His light sapphire eyes, replaced by a deep crimson. His facial features became more pronounced, the lines on his cheeks deepened, mimicking the look of whiskers that belonged to a fox. He rose as if an invisible puppet master was pulling him back to his feet. His feet took root, but he stood on all fours. His face turned upward, death embodied in his gaze; eyes transfixed on the group that had blackmailed him, he took off.

“Mizuki! Reiko! Takeshi! Aizu! RUN!” the conspirators scrambled, all in time to dodge Naruto’s advance.

“Hinata! Look out!” Kiba screamed. They jumped backward and entered the canopy of the trees. The group of conspirators spread out through the forest. Hinata looked toward the edge of her eye, and saw one of them trip.

“H-Help!” the fallen woman called out. “M-My ankle!” Hinata’s gaze shifted toward her ankle, she cringed at the sight of the twisted foot.

“A-Aizu!” one of the others called out helplessly as she saw Naruto’s hand reach down and take hold of Aizu’s windpipe. Naruto’s hand closed around her throat; his razor sharp claws slowly digging into her neck. Her screams of terror and fear slowly fading away as her neck slowly, and painfully collapsed upon itself.

Everyone stood and watched with terror in their eyes as her body fell limp onto the green grass in a pool of crimson. Naruto turned, slowly gazing at the rest of them, blood dripping down his hand. He took off again; running from the crazed shinobi in black and orange, another conspirator, looked towards his comrades. He reached forward.

“Reiko! Help!” The woman he called to stopped to look behind her. Takeshi, the one who called out to her, grabbed her hand, and tossed her to the ground. “I-I’m I’m sorry, Reiko!”

Reiko sat up in shock. “Takeshi! You son of a bitch! How could you?!” Reiko flinched, knowing the fate that awaited her. She took in a deep breath, and prayed for a painless demise.

“Shino-kun! Now!” Hinata’s voice echoed through the leaves. Reiko looked up to see a giant mass of black beetles swarm around her. The bugs held steady, and refilled the gaps as Naruto’s claws tore through the domed structure.

“Grab her, now!” Shino shouted. Kiba and Hinata descended and appeared before Reiko. They supported her arms with their shoulders, and jumped up into the trees once more. Shino’s bugs began to dissipate with Naruto’s furious blows. “Quickly! The shield is failing!” he shouted desperately. Naruto finally broke through the shield, and began to zig-zag is way through the trees towards the rest of the group.

 His speed launched him in front of most of the group. A scarlet ball of energy formed in his hand, a spiraling vortex the was almost pulling the objects around it, to it.

In front of Naruto stood Mizuki, in fear and desperation, he stood before Naruto. His footing loosened, it felt as if the Rasengan was really pulling him in. Naruto launched himself forward. The Rasengan had taken a twisted turn from the energy that pulsed through Naruto’s veins.

The Rasengan began to tear through Mizuki. It began to rip into him. A bloody mess of gore and blood spiraled with the Rasengan’s motion. Naruto emerged from the red mist; the stains barely visible due to the red aura that still engulfed his body.

The mist shot forth with the force of the Rasengan; the red mist entered Takeshi’s eyes, blinding him. The heat from the Nine-Tails’ aura seemed to boil the bloody mist, Takeshi closed his eyes as he felt them burning. Even more fear struck his mind as he became stricken with fear.

He felt Naruto’s hand push up against his forehead, holding him down against the grass, he began to scream in pain and fear as Naruto’s hand began to slowly close around his cranium.

“N-No! Pleas...” His last words disappeared with his last breath as Naruto’s claws closed in deeper into his skull. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, his head fell limp onto the ground.

The last of the conspirators disappeared into the forest.

“Shino-kun, Kiba-kun, we need to do something.” Hinata said aloud.

“What can we do? There’s no way we can stop him!” Kiba replied.

“If we fail here, we’ll be putting the rest of our village at risk. We need to do something.” Shino added. “We have to do something.”

They looked over at Reiko, who had someone gained her wits from the horrific experience she had just endured.

“Reiko? Go, go get help from the village, we need to keep Naruto here.” Hinata commanded. Reiko nodded, acknowledging her order, she took off only seconds later.

Shino pulled together his team. “Okay…here’s the plan.”

…

All three descended onto the forest floor. Naruto turned, and without warning charged towards them.

“Ready?!” Shino shouted.

“Ready!” Kiba and Hinata shouted in unison.

Shino brought his hands out to his sides, and forcefully clasped them together. The same, enduring black beetles from the desert shout out through his sleeves. They formed a giant sphere around Naruto; who responded with violent slashing at the sphere.

“H-He’s breaking through!” Shino said again with exhaustion.

“Let it go! We’re ready!” The sphere released. Akamaru and Kiba swept through the ground, and shot up dirt and mud towards Naruto’s eyes. He flinched with unexpected pain and surprise.

“Here we go!” Hinata took her stance. **"Juken! Hakke Sanjūni Shō!"** Her hands moved to speed. They struck his shoulders. Shino and Kiba watched as the Nine-Tails’ red aura disappeared from his arms. She struck his joints, and saw through his chakra paths, blocking them off with her strikes.

His limbs fell limp, he crumbled to the ground, his eyes closed, his breathing steadied. The expression of anger and hatred exchanged with a look of everlasting peace.

Hinata kneeled beside him and held her his head in her hands.

“What do you think will happen now?” Kiba asked.

“We can’t hide this.” Shino said while looking around at the bloody scene that stained the emerald landscape around them.

“We don’t have a choice, the chances are that those who got away have already told everyone they can.”

“So, what can we do?” Kiba questioned again.

“We’ll just have to wait and see.” Shino stoically replied.


	23. Bloodlines, Part IV: An Acknowledged Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Those around them now accept how they feel.

“Hokage-sama!” A voice boomed out through the Hokage’s office after an audible crash rang throughout the room. When the dust cleared, Tsunade sat inher usual seat, with Shizune at her side. In the doorway stood Shino, Kiba, and Hinata, with Naruto draped over her shoulder.

“W-What is it?” Tsunade shouted back. “What happened to Naruto?!”

“We can explain later! Right now we need to get Naruto to the hospital!” Kiba shouted back.

“Shizune! Help Hinata and take Naruto to the hospital!” Tsunade commanded. “You two!” she pointed at Shino and Kiba. “Tell me what happened!”

Kiba and Shino nodded, the groups took off in separate directions.

…

“All of them?...All of them were Hyuuga?” Tsunade questioned Shino and Kiba aloud. They had taken her to the scene of the massacre. The smell of iron was heavy, the green grass was tinted with the dark hue of dried blood.

“All of them.” Shino replied calmly.

“It’s…It’s gruesome…” Shizune added while holding her arm to her nose.

“Shizune! Get Hiashi here, right away! He needs to know about this.”

“Shino, Kiba, you’ve done enough. For now, go find Naruto and Hinata, make sure they’re safe.”

Shizune, Kiba, and Shino nodded to their orders.

It seems just minutes when Tsunade looked towards the trees to see others approaching her. When they came into view, she saw Shizune, Hyuuga Hiashi, and another woman who appeared to be a Hyuuga.

“Hiashi!” Tsunade screamed out. Hiashi’s face held an expression of disdain and calm.

He walked over to the center of the bloody scene. He kneeled down and tore away a small patch of bloody grass.

The scarlet from the weeds stained his fingers.

“Such a waste of life.” He muttered lowly.

“Hiashi, do you know what happened here?” Tsunade asked while turning towards him.

“I do.” He replied. “Hokage-sama. “I ask that you help clean up this situation, but as to the circumstances…Please, leave them out of the public eye.”

“What about Naruto?” Tsunade asked. “What will you do?”

“It has come to my attention, that neither he, nor Hinata was the cause of all this.” Hiashi turned to Reiko, staring towards her. “She had told us everything.” His head turned towards Tsunade again. “I ask that you forget all that we have discussed here. Do not let the rest of the village know about this at all. We will deal with those who are truly responsible for the lives of these Hyuuga.”

His gaze intensified as he uttered one final sentence.

“I will make them pay.”

He turned and walked away. Reiko obediently followed, with her head held down in shame and fear.

…

The next morning, Naruto lay in a hospital, machines hooked up to him, his heart beating, his lungs, breathing; beside him stood two of his new teammates, Kiba and Shino.

“Do you think Naruto’s going to be alright?” Kiba asked.

“I think he’s been through far worse. If he’s the Naruto I know.” He placed a hand on Kiba’s shoulder. “He’ll make it.”

“Yeah, you’re right…Do you know where Hinata is? Shouldn’t she be here with us?”

“She told me that she had to return home. She didn’t tell me why, said it was a family matter, and that’s all we need to know.”

“Do you think it had anything to do with what happened last night?” Kiba asked again.

“Probably. But I think its best that we forget. It’s none of our business.”

…

_At the same time…_

Hinata sat in front of an assembly of what seemed like the entire Hyuuga clan. She had been taken to the wilderness, a place that no one else knew about. A place specifically obtained by the Hyuuga. She sat at the head of the assembly, next to her stood her father. She sat quietly, waiting to see what would happen.

Hiashi stood up, the crowd hushed at the movement of his hand.

“Last night; something unbearable happened to us, and our bloodline.”

Hinata’s heart began to race, fearing his next words; fearing for the one she loved.

His voice echoed through the crowd. “They had taken it upon themselves to try and control the power that we all possess. The Byakugan.” He looked over toward Hinata.

“And even worse, they thought it necessary to try and end the life of my own daughter!”

The crowd echoed with shock.

“For these despicable actions; they will pay the ultimate price. Bring them forth!” He commanded.

From the crowd, ten men, and ten women emerged with their hands bound behind their backs. They shouted, and begged with pleas of mercy as the entire crowd booed and jeered.

Hiashi leaned over to Hinata. “Hinata, pay attention, but look away if you have to.

Hinata nodded her understanding, and swallowed hard as she look forward towards the co-conspirators.

Hiashi waved his hand; there were screams of pain and anguish.

Hinata, however; could not bring herself to watch the punishment occur with her own eyes.

…

“Hinata-sama!” A knock came at her door.

“Come in.” she answered to it. The door opened, a young women entered Hinata’s room slowly and politely. “What is it?” Hinata asked.

“Hiashi-sama has asked to see you.” The woman added. Hinata smiled kindly to her and followed.

She entered her father’s room with silent steps, almost as if there was no one there.

“F-Father?” Hinata silently questioned. Hiashi looked up from his desk and smiled.

“Hinata, There’s something that I need to talk to you about.” He offered her a seat. Hinata slowly walked up and sat in front of her father. “Everything that happened last night. It concerned you and Naruto. I know everything.”

He raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder.

“I want you to know, that it doesn’t matter who you want to be with. If you want to be with him, it’s no one’s business. And I’m fine with whoever you choose.” He smiled.

Hinata jumped up and hugged him.

“Thank you, father. I’m happy that you trust me.”

“I’ve always trusted you.”

…

 _The Next Morning, in Naruto’s hospital room_.

Naruto woke up to find Hinata standing by him. She jumped up and hugged him.

“OW!” He shouted into her ear.

“S-Sorry! Naruto-kun! Sorry!” Hinata quickly apologized.

“Ha…Don’t worry about it. I’m…I’m feeling better.” He said with a smile.

“Naruto-kun…Do you remember what happened?”

“I remember fainting in the forest from pai-“ He took a deep breath and held his chest. She took hold of his arm.

“Don’t. Don’t touch your scars, they’ll heal in time, but only if you leave them alone.” She took his hand and placed it back at his side. “You…You fainted.” She continued.

“And then, what happened? Did anything happen to Kiba? To Shino?” His eyes softened even more.

“Did I…Did I hurt you?”

“No…No, we…we managed to remain safe.” She replied with a smile. “We helped you here.”

Naruto’s eyes widened.

“What about the people that cause the problem? What about the people who tried to blackmail me? Those who threatened you? Did they hurt you?”

Hinata placed a soft hand onto his bare, bandaged chest. “Don’t worry, Naruto-kun. Everything is okay.”

He took a deep breath. “So, what did happen to them?”

“They lost what they sought to protect.” Hinata began.

“What do you mean?” He asked. She looked into his eyes with her own.

“They lost…The Byuakugan…They lost their ability to see.” Hinata said solemnly.

Naruto stayed silent for what seemed like minutes.

“I…I’m sorry.” He whispered. His head lowered, only to be caught by her hands. She brought her eyes to his again.

“The only thing I was concerned with was you. And as long as you’re fine…That’s all that matters to me.”

She came closer to him, and gently wrapped her arms around, gently embracing him.


	24. Anniversary, Part II: One. Last. Night.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Final Chapter.
> 
> That special night returns, with it comes celebration, and a vow that will carry on for the rest of time, and into eternity.

_Some time later…_

 “Okay, round two, Hinata and Naruto.” Shino said aloud. He stood between Naruto and Hinata the familiar forest clearing that they had trained in for so many years. “Remember, this is just a training bout, nothing lethal.” Shino looked towards both of them. “Is that understood?”

Naruto nodded.

Hinata nodded.

“Ready…go!” His arm fell down, the motion cutting the air between the two team mates.

The two teammates immediately took off running towards one another. Naruto found himself leaping forward; he crashed down onto the ground, and slid towards Hinata’s legs. She responded by readying herself, she planted her left leg deeply into the ground; with her foot firmly planted into the grass, she pivoted with her right foot, and in a single spinning motion, she lifted her left foot to land with a crash onto his back.

Naruto, with his eyes closed, felt the air change with Hinata’s movements. He felt her leg right behind him, and used his arms to push himself up. It seemed as if a single pocket of air cushioned his back, Hinata did not kick him in the back, but with her assistance, he was lifted to his feet.

The force of the air pushed him further back than he had planned; he turned to Hinata charging towards him. With a shout, he palm was headed directly to his chest. He readied himself, and grasped her hand with his own. Their fingers intertwined for a single moment of clarity among seconds of seemingly chaotic attacks.

He smiled lightly; a blush fell over Hinata’s face. They both smiled at each other, as her assault continued. Hinata’s left palm opened and jolted forward. Naruto caught her arm again, and grasped it tightly. He planted his feet firmly into the ground, just as Hinata had with her left foot. He held her arm, and tossed he towards the ground.

Hinata clenched her eyes in pain, until she found that she had not actually landed on the ground, but on another pocket of air. She opened her eyes and found him looking over her.

She pulled him down beside him and returned a smile.

“Uhh…So, who wins?” A voice came from behind them. Their eyes opened, holding embarrassment and surprise when they saw Kiba standing above them. “Are you guys still going at it? Or is that the end of the round?” Hinata and Naruto quickly rushed to their feet, and dusted themselves off.

“No contest.” Shino interjected. “Naruto had Hinata on the ground, but didn’t take any action to finish the match.”

“Well, I think that’s enough for now, what do you guys say?” Naruto replied.

“I would say that we’ve done enough for today.” Shino added.

“Yeah, how about we go grab something to eat?” Kiba said.

The teammates turned and walked back towards Konoha. Hinata ran up towards Naruto and grabbed his hand. In the back of his mind, something sparked.

“Hinata.” He started while grasping her hand even tighter. “There’s something I wanted to ask you.” He whispered.

She held his hand tighter. “What is it?” she asked.

“Hinata…I-”

“HURRY UP YOU TWO! OR WE’LL LEAVE YOU BEHIND!” He was interrupted. Naruto nervously grasped the back of his neck.

 “I’ll answer your question…tonight.” Hinata whispered with a smile. She turned and began to run. “We’re coming!” she shouted towards Shino and Kiba.

…

A medley of orange and blue overtook the sky at sunset. He watched the sun slowly set while taking in deep breaths. The insanity of the entire conspiracy even had him worried; but he had een assured by Hyuuga Hiashi himself, that the entire incident had been resolved, and Naruto wouldn’t have to be bothered by it anymore. Narauto shook his headt o clear his thoughts, this was no tile to sulk on the trouble of the past. All that mattered now wat that he was okay.

But more importantly, Hinata was okay.

He sat in the small living room he had been accumstomed to for so many years. His usual attire was hanging on the wall, headband placed on a small dresser next to the outfit. He was dressed in a simple black T-shirt, and plain grey boxer shorts. He let his mind wanter for a while, recalling everything that he had witnessed in the last five months or so.

His thoughts were interrupted with the sound of a turning doorknob; knowing who was stepping through the door, he took another breath.

_I’m going to ask her tonight…I’m going to ask her tonight. I know I can._

His breathing became regular again as he turned to greet her.

Hinata stepped through the door with a gentle grace. She was clothed in her usual grey-lavender hoodie, but sported a pair of violet shorts that Naruto had never seen her wear before. Her smile was soft, and her voice was kind.

“Naruto-kun?” She called outh in the home.

“I-I’m over here.” He replied while stepping out from behind a wall. Her smile widened when he came into view. Her arms wrapped around him, with her ear placed against his chest, she stepped back.

“Naruto-kun? Is something wrong?” She heard his heart racing.

“N-No, nothing’s wrong.” He stammered. Hinata expressed confusion at his obvious lie. “A-Actually, Hinata…”

“What is it?” She looked into his eyes as she asked the question; seeing something different in his expression, an emotional weakness that she had never known before…A fear that he had never shared with her.

He stood there, looking into her eyes for what seemed like lifetimes.

 _Just do it!_ He thought to himself.

He closed his eys briefly, and took another deep breath. When his eyes opened again, he felt a soft and warm pressure against his lips.

She slowly pulled away from him, and grapsed his hands with her own. Almost rhythmically, her steps fell as she lead him to his bedroom.

In the past few months, he had altered his room. The bed was now large enough to accommodate two people, held by a dark wooden frame, with red and white sheets; much of the room was bare, it had been renovated in the last month or so since his hospitalization.

She guided him down onto his bed, placed her hand over his heart, and gently pushed him back. He followed, and slowly leaned back until he found himself flat on his back. Hinata moved her hips to his, she leaned up against him, and began to move.

Her motions began to generate warmth in his core. Hinata moved with such a smooth motion, he felt himself begin to grow. Her hands rested on his chest. Fabric began to gather in her grasp as her hands slowly wrapped around the black fabric of his T-shirt.

Fabric gathered in her grasp as Hinata’s hands slowly wrapped around his T-shirt; with her grip on him, she fiercely pulled him up to her; eye’s closing as she passionately kissed him. Naruto’s eyes widened in surprise, and then relaxed as he took in the sensations that began to overpower him. His mind became numb, his arms became weak, and his heart was racing.

“I almost lost you.” She whispered to him. He stared at her with a blank expression until he managed to form a somewhat coherent thought.

“Hinata…I wanted to ask-” She placed two fingers on his lips, interrupting him.

“Shh…Ask me later.” She glided down to him again, her lips merging with his in another embrace. Their tongues intertwined while pushing against each other.

Hinata’s hands slowly rubbed against his chest as it descended down his body. She gently grasped him. Her gripwas relatively cool compared to the heat radiating from his body. Vibrations rumbled from his throat as he moaned in pleasure with her movements. She began to descend to his core; Naruto’s breaths became shallow, trying to regain his composure, he steaded himself onto his elbows.

Surprise took him when he saw how aroused he was. He looked up towards her, mesmerized by her beauty. Kneeling down before him, Hinata slowly unzipped her jacket, and let it float to the floor. She revealed a black lace bra that made a perfect contrast against her flawless ivory complexion. Slowly, she took hold of her breasts, and moved them towards him.

His breaths became shallower when Hinata slid him into her bra. She wrapped herself around him. His palms flattened onto the bed, wrinkles ran across the sheets with his fists, clenched in ecstasy. Her smooth movements became faster. What she did next pushed him over the edge.

Hinata’s mouth descended upon him, her tongue swiftly moved, and began to caress every inch of him. The warmth he felt when she did, completely overwhelmed him.

He was able to weakly murmur her name before her body shook with one incredible climax. She felt him reach his limit, and moved further down, taking him in entirely.

He let out extremely labored breaths and looked towards her again. Hinata reached behind her, her bra fell down to the floor. Naruto took a deep breath, he felt life entering him again as he marveled at her beauty.

“Lay dow, Hinata.” He whispered to her. With a flushed face, she eased down onto the bed. Naruto moved down and kissed her. His tongue slowly moved against hers; His hand caressing her as he felt her. Hinata’s moans rumbled through their entire being just as his had. His fingers glided down her silk skin to her black panties.

They gently slid under her black panties. Slowly, he continued to move down. He lifted his lips from her just as he began to move his fingers. Hinata let out a desperate gasp for air. Her moans of pleasure echoed through the empty halls and into his ears. He moved himself closer to her, and with a wet finger, pushed aside the black lace.

Hinata’s hand entangled itself into his blonde hair. She moved with him, guiding him with her hand while moving her hips; his tongue moved rubbed against her, Hinata placed a finger in her mouth, and with a soft expression began to bite down on it.

Her muscles tightened, her hand wrapped around his head and pulled him towards her lips. He weakly embraced his lips with hers. In the same motion, she wrapped her arms around him, and whispered into his ear.

“…Take me.” His hand moved down and took hold of himself. They both let hin deep breaths as he slowly entered her. Naruto regained the strength in his legs, he held her in his arms, and stood.

A deep gasp exited both of their lips as Hinata sunk down onto him, and he moved deeper into her. Hinata rhythmically moved her hips, feeling every inch of him inside of her. Naruto felt as if he would lose his mind in pleasure as she continued to move.

His knees weakened as his mind went blank. He caught himself from completely falling onto Hinata, but to his surprise, he felt her fingers almost dig into his back, and pull him down further into her.

“N-Naruto-kun!” She shouted with a breaking voice in passion. His hips moved against hers, pushing them further, and further.

“H-Hinata!” He cried out desperately with a gasp of air. His muscled tightened again, he let out a deep gasp with his climax.

Hinata gasped deeply as she felt him inside her. She held him in her arms, and guided him down to his side. He landed softly beside her, they looked into each other’s eyes.

“I love you, Naruto-kun.”

“I love you, Hinata.”

…

_The Next Morning…_

Naruto awoke to a sunrise, next to him, lay the woman he loved. He still had not asked her the question.

She began to stir; his mind was now more at ease than ever.

Hinata’s eyes opened. She greeted him with a gentle smile. He took a deep breath.

“Hinata, will you be with more…Forever?”

“…Yes.”

She moved towards him, and kissed him just as passionately as she had the first time.

They would be together.

Now and Forever.

**THE END**

**…**

**THE ORIGINAL AFTERWORD -** **AUTHOR’S FINAL THOUGHTS**

These are just some of my final thoughts about my entire experience writing here on Fan Fiction. So, feel free to not read this final installment.

Before I get to the main part of this final writing, there’s something that I’d like to share. You may be wondering why I’m ending these stories. Well, I have an answer for you.

This is something very personal, so if you couldn’t care less about this(since you could literally be a WORLD away from me, and will most likely NEVER meet me) you can skip until the word “First” appears to read about what I’ve learned.

To begin, I think a story may illustrate this better. In high school, I had to take a creative writing class; in it, we had to describe ourselves, one of the traits that I used to describe myself is “sprinter.” Not in the literal sense, but in the figurative sense that I take things in heavily, and then eventually lose interest in them overtime. Like a giant burst of energy that later begins to dissipate. Like a supernova. Perhaps you can find a connection here.

In February of 2013, I jumped into a Naruto sprint. I watched all of the original series, and caught up to the current series(at the time) in a few months. You’ll see my first story _Blossoming in Blood and Tears_ was published 6/22/2013 – June 22 nd, 2013. At this time, I had just finished watching the series up to _Shippuden 206 – Sakura’s Feelings_ , which compelled me to write that story. It’s been quite a while, and I’m rather disappointed that I caught up with a 6-7 year old anime in a few months.

So I stopped watching at one point.

Since I have stopped watching, I am now behind the series, and I have no idea what has happened since I stopped viewing. This is why I’ve decided to end these stories.

For now, I have lost interest in Naruto. It will eventually come flooding back to me like a broken down dam, but for now, it’s over.

The reason why I’ve decided to end these stories is because I don’t want my published stories, which I’ve worked so hard on, the stories that are the currently the largest writing projects _of my life_ , to become stagnant, and rot forever in the “In Progress” section of FanFiction, like many other stories.

And even though it sounds like I’m pulling the horse over onto the road and putting a bullet in its head, trust me when I say, that I have thought about it for a long time, and I really hoped that I could put a bullet in that horse’s head in the most dignified, fulfilling, and satisfying way possible.

I hope that by the time you read this, I have achieved my goal, and that you are as satisfied as I am.

Maybe I’ll be back again, when I start up on another Naruto sprint in the future.

…

Now onto a “lessons learned” lecture.

First, never let a story become too long. When the story becomes too extended, I have found that the plot drags on, and soon, reading and writing the story will drag on as well. When there’s a good place to end a story, end it.

Second, similarly to never letting a story get too long, never force yourself to release on a rushed-or for that matter _planned_ schedule that you can’t keep, and never write when you don’t feel up to it. When you do so, terrible chapters are written, you become burned out, you’ll eventually feel that the story is getting monotonous, and soon, you won’t want to continue writing it. Likewise, never take on two stories at once. Stick to one, end it. And begin again.

Third, remember who the writer is. There are readers, reviewers, and critics for your story; but there is only one writer for your story: you. I know that you take great pride in your writing(I know I do) but don’t take criticism personally, when you take a negative response personally, you’ll feel terrible about it, and it will linger in your mind for longer than it should. So remember to keep it professional, separate it from yourself emotionally. Don’t let other peoples’ thoughts determine where you take your story, because the only person who has the first and final say in your story, once again, is you.

After all, it’s no use being offended by what someone thinks of your story when they _literally_ live in another country.

I know that it sounds like I’m an ass when I say that, but if there’s something I’ve learned these last 21 years, it’s that people who are _too nice_ only get stepped on by those who sense how kind they are.

There’s nothing wrong with being proud of what you’ve done and defending it.

Stay proud. Stay strong.

I’ll be taking a lengthy hiatus after I finish these stories, and I don’t expect to be back any time soon, if at all. But what I can say is that if I ever become an author, the blurb in the back of my novels will read:

_WanderingRurouni started writing when he was 21, he began writing stories for FanFiction dot net, where is two major stories were written for Naruto, entitled: An Acknowledged Love, and Cherry Blossoms in the Wind._

And lastly, I’d like to thank you all for joining me on this incredible journey. It has been one hell of a learning experience. Thank you for the kind words, and even some of your not-so-kind words. They’ve all helped me grow as a writer, and a person.

When I had written my first story, I had never intended for it to have the reception that it had, I just posted it because “hey, when I have something I want to say, it’d be nice to have someone hear it.”

And so, the highest praise I can give to you, my beloved audience, is this:

I had originally come to FanFiction, to write Mature fiction, and ONLY Mature Fiction; meaning _every single one-shot, every single chapter, every single story_ was going to contain lemon, just because it could.

My first story was written on a fluke, no planning, and no schedule.

I just picked up a pen and began writing my thoughts.

But ever since I found that people began to look forward to my writing, the writing itself had evolved into something that I would not have imagined.

It became even better.

So, thank you, kind strangers, thank you for joining me on this incredible journey; a journey that even my closest friends would not have taken with me.

Until next time,

-WanderingRurouni

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


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